Tag: diagnostic

HCMC using real-time blood flow imaging to improve treatment for non-healing wounds

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HCMC is the first in Minnesota to use the LUNA Imaging System

Hennepin County Medical Center’s (HCMC) Center for Wound Healing and its Center for Hyperbaric Medicine are now using fluorescence microangiography – a new technology that can assess blood flow in chronic, non-healing wounds and diabetic foot ulcers. HCMC is the first in Minnesota to use the LUNA™ Imaging System during wound assessment.

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Dr. Thomas Masters

“The results of using LUNA have become so impressive that we can’t imagine caring for wounds without it. It’s quickly become an integral assessment tool,” explains emergency physician Dr. Thomas Masters.

Healthy blood flow or microcirculation is essential to healing wounds that can result from diabetes, a complication from a recent surgery, or even frostbite. Fluorescence microangiography with the LUNA system enables doctors to perform assessment of blood flow to the wound, utilizing real-time information to define treatment plans, optimize patient recovery and reduce the frequency of these complications. Complications from chronic wounds may include necrosis, infection, partial or total limb amputation and the need for repeat surgery.

“We already know that some diabetic and radiation wounds greatly improve when treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy,” said Dr. Masters. “Having the LUNA diagnostic tool to visualize the results allows us to measure the successful healing process during treatment. Likewise, it can indicate when there’s irrevocable tissue death so unnecessary limb preservation efforts can be avoided.”

Procedures with the LUNA System do not involve the potential safety hazards associated with X-ray procedures and traditional contrast agents. Because the dye that’s used is processed in the liver, kidney function is not affected. This is significant for patients diagnosed with diabetes whose kidney function may be at risk.

“We care for many patients with diabetes who may already have compromised kidney function, so this was a very important factor to us,” said Dr. Masters.

HCMC has the only multi-chamber hyperbaric oxygen facility in the region that’s used for 24/7 emergency treatment of critically ill patients and those with limb or life-threatening infections.

Hyperbaric oxygen has long been recognized as an important adjunctive therapy for chronic medical conditions such as delayed soft tissue radiation injury and Wagner 3 or greater foot ulcers in diabetic patients. For more information, go to www.hennepinhealthcare.org

Avoiding unnecessary radiation: low-dose X-rays, CT scans at HCMC

Doctors at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) now have a new diagnostic tool that gives them the information they need – without the extra radiation patients don’t need. It’s part of a new approach to medical imaging based on Philips CT (cat scan) and X-ray systems, which includes techniques, programs and practices to ensure the best image quality while reducing radiation exposure to patients and the hospital’s clinical staff.

Chip Truwit, MD

“Everyone’s concerned about radiation exposure, and the goal of X-ray and CT scanning is to obtain a clear image so we’re able to make an accurate diagnosis,” explains Dr. Chip Truwit, Chief of Radiology at HCMC. “More radiation used to mean clearer image – but not with this new technology. We’re now able to customize the radiation to the patient and deliver only what’s needed to get a clear image. This often results in being able to reduce the patients’ exposure by one-half or even down to one-tenth of what we’d normally use.” Continue reading “Avoiding unnecessary radiation: low-dose X-rays, CT scans at HCMC” →