Haverhill, MA - January 22, 2007 - Merrimack Valley Hospital (MVH) announced today that it has acquired 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. Merrimack Valley 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.

Merrimack Valley Hospital's physicians are now able to capture images of a beating heart in five heartbeats, an organ in one second, and perform whole body trauma in ten seconds, more than twice as fast as conventional multi-slice CT scanners. This speed is especially helpful in shortening breath holds for geriatric patients, patients who are on ventilators and pediatric patients.

"Our new Volume CT system allows our physicians to perform new and enhanced procedures and obtain the information they need to diagnose patients who are suffering from chest pain or stroke," said Dan Colon, MVH Chief Operating Officer. "Volume CT is patient friendly. Fast scans can help reduce patient stress and anxiety, and some of the volume CT procedures can be done in only one simple exam."

Merrimack Valley Hospital can immediately offer the following innovative procedures to be performed on their new LightSpeed VCT:

5-Beat CardiacT - The physician's at Merrimack Valley Hospital can capture images of the whole heart and coronary arteries in just five heartbeats - providing clearer images of cardiovascular anatomy and a shorter breath hold for sick and elderly patients.

Triple RuleOutT - Three primary causes of mortality in patients with chest pain are aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism and coronary artery disease. The physician's at Merrimack Valley Hospital now have a tool to help them rule out (or in) these three individual causes of patient's chest pain through a single quick scan.

Stroke Work-Up - Once a stroke occurs, it is commonly believed that treatment must be delivered within an hour or less to ensure the best outcome for the patient. The LightSpeed VCT offers Merrimack Valley Hospital the speed and resolution required for rapid imaging of blood vessels in the brain. This enables physicians to make a quick diagnosis and determine the best course of treatment while reducing the number of exams a patient may need to undergo.

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 Merrimack Valley Hospital to analyze. From these images, 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 LightSpeed VCT," stated Lynne Randell, MVH Director of Diagnostic Imaging. "The technology is greatly benefiting both the physicians and patients of the Merrimack Valley and bordering towns in Southern New Hampshire. We're excited to be the first to offer this medical technology in the area."

To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call the CT Scan Department at 978-521-8587.