Gilbert Hospital has announced that it has acquired and installed a new, state-of-the-art 64-slice CT imaging system from GE Healthcare. The Lightspeed VCT is the world's first Volume Computed Tomography (VCT) system. Gilbert Hospital 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.

Nearly twice as fast as conventional multi-slice CT scanners, Gilbert Hospital new scanner is so effective, it captures images in as little as one second and can perform whole body trauma scans in as little as ten seconds.

"Our new Volume CT system will now allow our physicians to perform new and enhanced procedures and obtain information they need to diagnose patients who are suffering from chest pain or stroke much quicker and much more effectively," said Dr.

Tim A. Johns , Gilbert Hospitals founder and Medical Director. "This new Volume CT is extremely patient friendly. The fast scans can help reduce patient stress and anxiety, and some of the volume CT procedures can be done in only one simple exam."

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 Gilbert Hospital to analyze. From these images, the 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 CT," stated

David Wanger , Chief Executive Officer of Gilbert Hospital. "The technology is greatly benefiting both the physicians and the patients of the southeast valley. We're excited to be one of the first to offer this medical technology in the area."