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CHARLOTTE, NC-- Every year, more than five million people around the nation are admitted to emergency departments with chest pain. Another 700,000 suffer from strokes. Now, Presbyterian Hospital physicians at the main hospital in Charlotte and in Matthews have one of the nations fastest CT scanners to help them quickly diagnose chest pain, stroke and other life-threatening diseases.

Using GE Healthcare's new Lightspeed Volume Computed Tomography System (VCT), physicians can capture highly detailed images of a beating heart, and, within 10 seconds, reveal any critical cause of a patients chest pain. In a single scan, the three most deadly conditions associated with chest pain aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism and coronary artery disease can be detected.

The VCT is a significant advancement in medicine as it is twice as fast as other multi-slice CT scanners, explained Erik Insko, MD, Ph.D, Presbyterian Hospitals director of Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging. When making a patient diagnosis, speed is critical. The faster we can detect a heart abnormality or stroke, the better chance we have of averting a life-threatening problem.

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 patients anatomy for physicians to analyze. From these images, clinicians can view blockages in the coronary arteries, as well as the motion and pumping action of a patients heart.

For stroke patients, it is commonly believed that treatment must be delivered in an hour or less to ensure the best outcome for the patient. The LightSpeed VCT provides a rapid examination of blood vessels in the brain so physicians can quickly determine the best course of treatment, added Insko. The single scan also reduces the number of exams a patient may need to undergo.

The new technology offers other patient-friendly features. Fast scans help reduce patient stress and anxiety, said Insko. The speed of the new scanner is helpful in shortening breath holds for geriatric and pediatric patients, as well as patients who are on ventilators.