Advanced imaging for patients & physicians

Advancements in imaging technology are now available to patients of Hutchinson Regional Medical Center: a state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging scanner (MRI), located in the hospital’s new Intensive Care Unit, which opened in August, 2020. The MRI, purchased with $2.7 million from Hutchinson Regional Medical Foundation, gives patients a better experience by shortening scan times, and provides physicians with higher quality images.

The Siemen’s Magnetom Aera 48 coil 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner is capable of producing high-resolution images of internal organs. The MRI’s powerful components, coupled with cutting-edge software, reduces blurs and imaging errors created from patient movement.

In addition to its imaging capabilities, the new MRI gives patients a more comfortable testing experience. For many scans, the machine’s design allows for a patient’s head to remain outside the machine, eliminating the “claustrophobic” feeling some patients experience. It’s also 70 percent quieter than conventional MRIs, takes less time to secure a better image, and is more accommodating to larger patients.

Speaking for the Foundation, President Jim Gilliland said, “We want to make sure that anyone in our community can receive the best care in a great facility with cutting-edge equipment. Thanks to recent upgrades, Hutchinson Regional Medical Center now offers advanced emergency, intensive, and diagnostic imaging in the region. That is the kind of result the Foundation was created to achieve.”