Sparrow Clinton Hospital in St. Johns, Mich., has added wide bore MRI equipment to give patients more room and ease anxiety about undergoing a scan.
The new equipment features a bore size about four inches wider than a standard MRI unit, "which makes a big difference for the elderly, very young, and patients who are larger," the hospital said in a Nov. 15 news release. "The equipment also provides better clarity in its images, reducing exam time and increasing patient satisfaction."
Research has long explored the prevalence of anxiety caused by being in an enclosed space during an MRI, with one study showing 14 percent of patients who underwent the procedure after cardiac surgery experienced severe anxiety.