A new CT scanner has been installed at Werribee Mercy Hospital to conduct high-level brain perfusion imaging which is used to diagnose acute strokes.
The CT scanner, which was shipped from Germany, was installed at the hospital earlier this month.
Patients attending the hospital’s emergency department, intensive care unit and acute medical and surgical services will be among the first to access the new scanner.
The scanner is now in its final stages of testing and will be available for use within weeks.
Werribee Mercy’s current CT scanner will continue to operate but will be decommissioned by mid-2022.
Mercy Health’s health services chief executive, Jason Payne, said the new scanner would help to identify serious health issues in patients.
While Werribee Mercy does not provide long-term treatment of stroke patients, the scanner will assist in rapid diagnosis of their conditions, he said.
“If a stroke patient is brought to us by ambulance in an emergency, we will be able to quickly identify the issues in order to stabilise the person before having them transferred to a metropolitan hospital for longer-term care,” Adjunct Professor Payne said.
Besides strokes, the new scanner will provide improved precision imaging for identification of cancers and to identify and treat acute chest pain.
The CT scanner will also assist with earlier identification of internal bleeds and trauma injuries, and will provide faster scans for better imaging of child patients.
Mr Payne said that Mercy Health was in regular contact with the state government to highlight the need for investment and expansion at Werribee Mercy.
“As the major public hospital in one of Australia’s fastest-growing urban corridors, demand for our services has continued to escalate,” he said.
