Download Sheikh Khalifa Medical City MRI Extension Suite, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City
MRI Extension Suite, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Turnkey design, construction and equipping of an
additional MRI to meet the increasing needs of one of the
UAE's cutting-edge medical facilities
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is the flagship institution
for SEHA's healthcare system. Its comprehensive healthcare
services cater to the needs of the local community, not only
ensuring optimal levels of patient care and satisfaction,
but also promoting general health and wellbeing through
education and awareness.
Prior to extending the facility, the SKMC employed a 1.5 T MRI that
had been operational for over nine years. With demand exceeding
supply, however, there was a need for an additional MRI.
To house the new MR750w 3.0T Magnetic Resonance and the
supporting functions required for its operation, the SKMC sought
a turnkey solution for the new wing at the hospital. Because
environmental, soil substructure and proximity issues made a
traditional build unsuitable, a modular design was selected.
Design and module construction took less than six months.
After being delivered to the side, the units were assembled, an
RF cage installed and additional finishing works carried out to
ensure on-schedule installation and commissioning of the MRI
Extension.
Overview
Challenge
The solution delivered was conceived as a full turnkey project
spanning design, build and equipping of the extension MRI suite
that houses an extensive range of hi-tech medical equipment.
•New, turnkey extension to the SKMC's MRI suite
•Additional, more efficient MRI required to cope with
growing need
•Traditional building techniques unsuitable for
structural reasons
Challenge
Solution
A traditional build was inappropriate so a skilled contractor
had to be sourced to design and construct a modular
solution that met requirements. A challenge in its own
right, implementation was further impacted by the need for
municipality approvals for the design and construction phase
of the facility, an unusually time-consuming process that led to
some delay to the project as a whole.
gehealthcare.com
•Innovative, modular building design and construction
•Faster building and implementation
•Patient- and user-friendly MR750w 3.0T Magnetic
Resonance scanner, the first of its kind in the UAE
Results/benefits
•Improved imaging results and higher patient
throughput
•Additional scanning capabilities now available
•New standard of patient care thanks to more
effective healthcare services
Solution
GE Healthcare played an instrumental
role in helping plan, develop and deliver
the facility, providing all the necessary
specialist services and co-ordinating
the project from start to finish. As a
result, we were able to ensure that the
design took the very diverse aspects of
the facility – its processes, people and
technology – into consideration.
The project was designed and
implemented collaboratively by GE
(technology provision, CDS advisory
services), ADI (technology provision
and on-site project coordination),
Obermeyer (structural design and
architectural services) and Module
Metrix (design and construction of
the building modules). The extension's
modular design meant that it could be
completed and commissioned faster
than a traditional structure.
It was not until the main building unit
was in place and the environment had
been completely cleaned and rendered
dust free that the sophisticated MRI
equipment was installed.
The MR750w 3.0T Magnetic Resonance
scanner forms the heart of the new
facility. This new GE Healthcare
w-series system is the first of its kind
to be installed in the UAE and was
selected to allow greater use of feetfirst scanning, in addition to traditional
head-first scanning. The scanner has
a larger, 70 cm patient bore and its
patient-friendly design helps alleviate
stress during the scanning procedure.
The larger bore also makes the system
especially suited for patients who are
usually difficult to scan, such as the
elderly, the very young or individuals
who are in pain, and its detachable
table has a tilt feature to help better
position the head and neck during
brain and spinal examinations. Besides
improving comfort, this helps reduce
patient movement which, in turn,
considerably enhances image quality.
The system's advanced RF signal
reception system includes a new
integrated, lighter-weight, and higherperformance RF coil architecture
designed to improve image quality and
examination speed.
From an operator perspective, the
scanner's thinner, flexible materials
make it easier to position patients,
while the ergonomic lightweight GEM
coil system has been designed to assist
technologists, as they no longer need to
manipulate bulky and heavy coils. This
may potentially improve workflow and
allow hospitals to scan patients faster.
To support SKMC in moving forward,
significant additional training will be
given to their clinical and non-clinical
staff, both in the UAE and overseas.
Results/Benefits
This facility offers a new standard
of patient care for SKMC and local
residents by providing a more
comfortable patient experience.
Compared to the current 1.5 T system,
the image quality of the new scanner
is considerably better thanks to the
higher field strength and channel coils
which permit higher resolution studies
and faster examinations.
The 3T scanner features a number of
new imaging techniques, including:
• motion arresting,
• non-contrast imaging, and
• volume imaging.
The configuration also includes highend breast and cardiac imaging
capabilities - two of the key additional
capabilities the extension now
offers. This allows the SKMC serve an
additional and broader population,
something not possible with its legacy
equipment.
This means that the facility is now in a
position to provide both more efficient
and effective services for healthcare
providers and to offer a more
comfortable environment for patients.
About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services to meet the demand for
increased access, enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare around the world. GE (NYSE: GE)
works on things that matter - great people and technologies taking on tough challenges. From medical
imaging, software & IT, patient monitoring and diagnostics to drug discovery, biopharmaceutical
manufacturing technologies and performance improvement solutions, GE Healthcare helps medical
professionals deliver great healthcare to their patients.
"In line with our
mission to provide
comprehensive
healthcare services
that cater for the needs
and priorities of the
Abu Dhabi community,
we pride ourselves in
offering our patients the
latest advancements in
technology and patientcentered comfort. With
the unique features of
the new GE Healthcare
MRI, we can now
offer patients a more
comfortable, stress-free
MRI experience."
Stephen Walker
Radiology Manager