Emergency Department CT

CT Scanner Campaign Update

June 2024

We are delighted to share that because of the generous support of our donors and community, we have exceeded our fundraising goal, raising more than $2M for the new CT scanner! The advanced CT scanner will make a difference to the thousands of patients who come to our ER every year requiring a CT scan, as well as our cardiology patients needing specialized cardiac scans, including TAVR, Watchman and coronary scans.

We cannot thank you enough for supporting North Kansas City Hospital and our mission of providing hope and healing to every life we touch.

Advancements for Tomorrow

North Kansas City Hospital has the busiest Emergency Department in Kansas City, serving more than 200 patients daily and nearly 80,000 annually. Due to high patient volumes, the ED performs a CT scan every 13 minutes. To meet the growing needs of the Northland and improve the patient experience, we needed a second CT scanner. The acquisition of the Canon Aquilion ONE™ / GENESIS Edition CT scanner is monumental for the ED and the entire health system.

What Is a CT Scanner?

A computerized tomography scanner combines X-ray images from different angles around the body using advanced computer processing to create detailed pictures of blood vessels, bones and soft tissues. The new scanner will result in faster diagnostics and treatments as well as increased CT imaging access in the ER.

This technology allows care teams to:

• Detect injuries and internal bleeding
• Diagnose a stroke
• Find a blood clot, infection or tumor
• Guide various procedures
• Identify muscle and bone disorders
• Locate and monitor different diseases and conditions

The detector on the scanner is four times larger than the standard detector, so it allows for a drastic reduction in patient scan times and reduced radiation dosage. It can also obtain an image of the entire heart or head in a single picture, instead of numerous photo clips composed together like a standard CT scanner.

Adding a Second CT Scanner is Critical

The new CT scanner we’re working toward will be one of the most advanced in the region. It will produce higher-detailed images and help our care teams evaluate patients quicker, leading to faster diagnoses and treatments.

For the Senior Director of the ED, Trauma and Critical Care Services Marirose Apolinarski, MSN, BSN, obtaining a second CT scanner would make all the difference for our stroke patients and their health outcomes.

“With the increasing volume of patients coming to our Emergency Department with stroke symptoms, a state-of-the-art CT scanner will help us diagnose a stroke in minutes and quickly deliver the appropriate intervention,” Marirose said.

This state-of-the-art technology is one of the best for fast cardiac, stroke, and trauma imaging. It scans the heart in one heartbeat, providing detailed clinical insights to help physicians make more informed decisions. 

It also offers a:

• Higher patient weight limit
• Larger space for scanning patients
• Lower radiation dose and exposure