Clinton, Maryland - Dr. Francis P. Chiaramonte, CEO of Southern Maryland Hospital Center (SMHC) announced today that it has acquired a new, state-of-the-art, CT imaging system from GE Healthcare. The LightSpeed® VCT is the world’s first Volume Computed Tomography (VCT) system. SMHC now offers an innovative way for its physicians to obtain the information they need to diagnose disease and life-threatening illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, stroke and chest pain.

SMHC’s physicians are now able to capture images of a beating heart in five heartbeats, an organ in one second, and perform whole body trauma in ten seconds, more than twice as fast as conventional multi-slice CT scanners. This speed is especially helpful in shortening breath holds for geriatric patients, patients who are on ventilators and pediatric patients. "Our new Volume CT system allows our physicians to perform new and enhanced procedures and obtain the information they need to diagnosis patients who are suffering from chest pain or stroke," said Mohamed Boukadoum, M.D., Chief of Radiology at SMHC. "Volume CT is patient friendly. Fast scans can help reduce patient stress and anxiety, and some of the volume CT procedures can be done in only one simple exam."

SMHC can immediately offer the following innovative procedures to be performed on their new LightSpeed VCT:

5-Beat Cardiac™ - The physician’s at SMHC can capture images of the whole heart in a helical scanner seeing all surfaces and coronary arteries in just five heartbeats - providing clearer images of cardiovascular anatomy and a shorter breath hold for sick and elderly patients.

Triple RuleOut™ - Three primary causes of mortality in patients with chest pain are coronary artery disease, pulmonary embolism, and aortic dissection. The physician’s at SMHC now have a tool to help them rule out (or in) these three individual causes of patient’s chest pain through a single quick scan.

Stroke Work-Up - Once a stroke occurs, it is commonly believed that treatment must be delivered within an hour or less to ensure the best outcome for the patient. The LightSpeed VCT offers SMHC the speed and resolution required for rapid imaging of blood vessels and perfusion of the brain. This enables physicians to make a quick diagnosis and determine the best course of treatment while reducing the number of exams a patient may need to undergo.

In a single rotation, the LightSpeed VCT creates 64 high-resolution anatomical images as thin as a credit card. These images are combined to form a three-dimensional view of the patient’s anatomy for the physicians at SMHC to analyze. From these images, physicians can view such things as blockages in the coronary arteries, as well as the motion and pumping action of a patient’s heart. "We’re breaking barriers in speed and accuracy of patient exams and are now able to offer new and enhanced diagnostic procedures thanks to our new LightSpeed VCT," stated Dr. Boukadoum. "The technology is greatly benefiting both the physicians and patients of Southern Maryland Hospital Center. We’re excited to be one of the first to offer this medical technology in the area."

Founded in 1977 by Francis P. Chiaramonte, MD, MPH, FACS, Southern Maryland Hospital Center is a 358-bed full service hospital serving the Southern Maryland areas. Additionally, SMHC operates a state-of-the-art twenty-four bed subacute unit. Throughout SMHC’s history, it has remained a community leader, a strong supporter of health care education, and a dedicated advocate for quality health care services.