Making a Real Impact

For Stratford General Hospital, receiving approval for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine last month and $800,000 from the province in annual funding is a big step towards acquiring one of the most critical pieces of equipment in a modern day acute care hospital – even though there’s still the challenge of raising some $3.5 million locally to purchase the machine and carry out renovations.

The real impact will be on patients. For many, having access to an MRI close to home could be life changing—even life saving. From a technical viewpoint, MRI uses radiofrequency waves and a strong magnetic field rather than x-rays to provide remarkably clear and detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues. It’s an essential tool for a fast, accurate diagnosis of various cancers, stroke, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis and other life-threatening conditions.

“ Detecting such diseases and conditions early makes them much easier to treat,” explains Dr. Laurel Moore, Chief of Staff. Having our own MRI machine will also mean less reliance on invasive procedures.

With a target date of summer/fall 2011, the MRI is scheduled to operate 40 hours per week, providing area patients with over 3,100 scans each year—helping patients to avoid the lengthy travel and ambulance trips they must now endure.

MRI Facts

• Over 3,100 scans a year or over 307,520 kms to and fro from London.
• Large bore model accommodates large patients, patients in pain or with mobility problems.
• The population size that SGH site expects to provide MRI services to is 150,636.
• Huron and Perth counties are the Central Region of the South Western Local Health Integrated Network (SW LHIN). The health status of the central region reflects an increase in chronic health conditions. There is a higher percentage of bronchitis, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. The obesity rate is 18.1 percent compared to a provincial average of 15.1%. The mortality rate is 6% higher than the provincial average.
• Arthroscopy surgery performed by orthopedic surgeons can be replaced by MR imaging. MRI has long been the preferred test for knee injury, replacing the need for arthroscopy, eliminating a surgical procedure for patients.
• Stratford General Hospital site of HPHA will have the capacity to perform paediatric MRIs.
• MRI is most often used to diagnose brain and nervous system problems; bone, joint and muscle disorders; tumors; certain heart and blood vessel diseases; or cancer of the reproductive organs, liver, kidneys, lymph nodes, bladder, pancreas or vocal cords.
• An Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan uses a powerful magnet and radiowaves to produce superbly detailed views of the human body. MRI does not use radiation.
• The biggest and most important component of an MRI system is the magnet. There is a horizontal tube -- the same one the patient enters -- running through the magnet from front to back. This tube is known as the bore.
• The strength of a magnet in an MRI system is rated using a unit of measure known as a tesla. Another unit of measure commonly used with magnets is the gauss (1 tesla = 10,000 gauss). The magnets in use today in MRI systems create a magnetic field of 0.5-tesla to 2.0-tesla, or 5,000 to 20,000 gauss. When you realize that the Earth's magnetic field measures 0.5 gauss, you can see how powerful these magnets are.