Cherries boss Eddie Howe and players from AFC Bournemouth officially opened a new state-of-the-art MRI scanner suite at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital yesterday (Wednesday January 22).
Eddie and AFC players Josh McQuoid and Shaun MacDonald took time out of their busy schedules ahead of Bournemouth’s weekend match against Liverpool to ‘cut the ribbon’ and open the new scanner to the people of Dorset.
In an opening speech, Eddie described his delight the hi-tech scanner would be available for use and referred to the ‘long standing relationship’ between Nuffield Hospital Bournemouth and AFC Bournemouth and their work in the community.
The new cardiac enabled Siemens 1.5T machine is a leap in medical advances because its rapid diagnosis of a range of ailments reduces overall patient treatment times – especially useful for sports-people needing to be back on top form quickly.
By using radio waves and magnetic fields the MRI scanner can investigate:
- The brain
- Spinal cord
- Heart and blood vessels
- Liver
- Bones and joints
The machine is able to diagnose conditions such as:
- Stroke
- Arthritis
- Prostate cancer
- Damage to muscle and ligaments in sports injuries
Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital Director David McNair said: “We were delighted to have Eddie and his players from AFC Bournemouth here to officially open our new MRI scanner suite. AFC Bournemouth has been very supportive of Nuffield Hospital developments and their interest in the new scanner helps to raise awareness of this hugely impressive machine.”
The new MRI scanner is wider than its predecessor resulting in a more comfortable and less claustrophobic experience for patients. It is also faster and the weight limit allowance has increased. Especially exciting is the ability to perform cardiac scanning, which allows the hospital to look in more detail than before at both the anatomy and physiology of the heart.
The introduction of the new scanner suite is part of ongoing renovation plans to update the hospital with cutting-edge technology. Plans include the addition of a new mammography suite, opened last year by Denise Van Outen, and ongoing plans to refurbish both theatres and bedrooms across the hospital.
David added: “By investing in this new machine and adding it to our already comprehensive existing services, we are demonstrating our commitment to treating our patients with the most advanced and effective medical equipment.”
The new scanner has been established through a joint partnership between Nuffield Health and Alliance Medical, Europe’s leading provider of diagnostic imaging services.