5 Ways Moffitt’s New Digital PET/CT Scan Is Improving Patient Care
This story is part of a larger series on new technology at Moffitt and how it impacts cancer patients and their care.
It’s an experience most people with cancer are all too familiar with: Receiving the tracer injection, lying down on a narrow table, being carefully positioned and sliding into a circular tube. PET/CT scans are a crucial piece of technology in the oncology toolbox. Doctors use them to help diagnose cancer, determine treatment plans and monitor the effects of treatment.
With the recent opening of its Speros Outpatient Center in Pasco County, Moffitt Cancer Center has added a new state-of-the-art digital PET/CT scan to its arsenal. The innovative Omni Legend PET/CT system provides top-quality imaging while improving the patient experience.
What Makes It Stand Out?
Nuclear medicine technologists Carie Huey and Gerrie Estrada have ushered the new technology into operation at Speros, and they’re breaking down what stands out about the digital PET/CT scan:
Increased sensitivity. Patients who receive a PET/CT scan are typically injected with a type of radioactive isotope that travels through the body and enables the scan to create detailed imaging of tumors. The new digital scanner is more sensitive than traditional scanners, so it can detect smaller lesions and develop high-quality images using smaller doses of radiation.
Ambient lighting, patterns and soothing images inside the tube are meant to create a sense of calm for patients.
AI for accuracy. The digital PET/CT scan uses artificial intelligence software to help technologists like Huey and Estrada perfectly position patients for imaging. It also uses AI to correct for any slight movements caused by the patient’s breathing during the scan.
Less time in the tube. One of the clear benefits for patients is the increased speed of the digital scan. Traditional full-body scans take about 40 minutes, Huey says. The digital PET/CT machine takes only 27 minutes for a full-body scan.
More room. The new digital PET/CT scan is designed to give patients the feel of more room inside the tube, easing concerns of claustrophobia. In addition, it is large enough to complete a full-body scan of patients as tall as 6’1” in a single pass. Traditional machines require two passes to complete a full-body scan for patients taller than 5’11”.
Decreased anxiety. For many patients, the time spent inside the tube is nerve-wracking. To help patients who experience claustrophobia, the new machine has ambient lighting and soothing imaging inside the tube to create a sense of calm.
Bottom Line
Innovation and patient-centered care are key to Moffitt’s mission. The new digital PET/CT scanner at Speros is just one example of how advances in technology can reduce stress, save time and improve care for patients.
