Don’t risk your equipment and your brand reputation! Invest in CT Scanner maintenance

On April 10, 2023, two CT scanners failed at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Sri Lanka. With more than 5,000 patients visiting the hospital daily, and over 10 CT scans ordered on a daily basis, the failures made news in the island nation. The doctors at the hospital were helpless without scan reports while the management said they could not afford the cost of completely repairing the machines.

CT scanning equipment usually never goes under without giving its users loud and clear warnings. It’s up to technicians to ensure they listen. It is in preventing this type of sudden, major failures that regular maintenance is often invaluable.

Your CT Scanner is talking to you. Are you listening?

For example, what does it mean when a technologist starts to scan a patient and the scan aborts? Well, that’s the CT scanner indicating to you that there may be a problem with something in the X-ray tube or one of the boards.

Sometimes, you may hear a humming when the anode rotates, again a sign that there is an issue with the X-ray tube. Failure to power up, for instance, could mean a problem with the power supply. The scanner overheating could be an SOS from the cooling system.

That’s why paying attention and ensuring regular maintenance is critical in keeping a CT scanner in tip-top shape. Otherwise, as a healthcare facility, it is going to cost in terms of revenue but also brand image.

Here’s why Regular CT Scan Maintenance is so important

• Proper functioning:
  Malfunctioning or inaccurate CT scanners can lead to incorrect diagnoses, which can be detrimental to a patient’s health.
• Preventing breakdowns:
  CT scanners are expensive, and if not maintained well, can result in a lot of money spent on costly unexpected repairs.
• Maintaining image quality:
  The quality of a CT image is directly related to the accuracy of diagnosis. The quality of images in a badly maintained CT scanner, which has not been regularly calibrated is going to be poor.
• Keeping patients safe:
  Faulty equipment poses a safety hazard to both technician and patient. Problems with the scanner’s calibration can result in an increased amount of radiation delivered during a scan, which is not safe.

What happens during regular CT scanner maintenance?

During regular maintenance, a CT scanner is tested for:

• Spatial resolutionwhich is the ability of the scanner to distinguish between small objects or details.
• Contrast resolution,which is the ability of the scanner to distinguish between objects with similar densities.
• Uniformity,or the consistency of image brightness across the entire image.
• Noiseto understand the amount of random variation or “noise” in the images produced by the scanner.
• Radiation dose to ensure the amount of radiation delivered during a scan is within safe limits.
• Calibration so that the images produced are accurate and of high quality.
• Mechanical system review, where the equipment is cleaned, parts replaced, etc.
• Computer system review, where archiving systems on the CT’s computer etc are checked.

We understand that as a healthcare facility, patient safety and wellness come first, which is why regular maintenance of medical imaging equipment is important. Purchase of high-quality equipment is important but so is investing in its maintenance.

Blue Star E&E offers a range of CT scanners, with unique features such as multi-detector and excellent diagnostic imaging quality, all done at low doses, without compromising patient safety. But we go far beyond just sales of high-quality CT systems – our relationships built over more than 30 years are strongly backed by exceptional support and service. Talk to our experts today.