Hospital scanner fast as a heartbeat
Doctors at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital can take pictures that make your heart stand still. With their new Toshiba 64-slice CT Scanner – an advanced imaging machine – doctors can view blockages in blood vessels and in the brain. They can complete a full body scan in less than 30 seconds and scan the heart so quickly that doctors can see pulmonary action between beats. For patients with chest pains, doctors can use the scanner to see inside blood vessels, eliminating the need to insert catheters. St. Joseph’s acquired the only 64-slice CT scanner in the state as it upgraded its cardiovascular department, says radiology department chief Dr. Steve Gunberg. “It’s one of these new technologies that is really changing the way all physicians are looking at medicine,” he said.
Navigate with a laptop
Earthmate gives laptops a sense of direction. You can turn your laptop into a portable navigation system with DeLorme’s Earthmate GPS LT-20 system. When connected to a laptop’s USB port, the Global Positioning System device provides voice navigation and automatic back-on-track routing. High-contrast screen settings help overcome glare on the laptop screen, and large on-screen type and arrows make it easier to see directions for upcoming turns. The Windows-based device ships with “Street Atlas USA 2005” software. Cost: $100. www.delorme.com.
