Murray, Utah-based Intermountain Medical Center has become the first hospital in Utah and only the second in the U.S. to use GE HealthCare’s SIGNA Sprint Elite MRI system, an advanced imaging platform designed to improve diagnosis for heart and cancer patients.
The machine, which uses AI to sharpen image clarity and cut scan times, began operating at the hospital earlier this year, according to an Aug. 27 news release. Intermountain Health cardiologists say the system is already changing how they diagnose and treat cardiac patients.
“A moving heart with blood flowing through it is one of the hardest things to get clear images of without taking long periods of time in an MRI machine,” said Brent Wilson, MD, an Intermountain Health cardiologist at Intermountain Medical Center. “These clearer images allow us to use new approaches to mapping out injured areas of heart tissue, which improves our treatments.”
The built-in AI reduces signal-to-noise interference, a capability not available on Intermountain Medical Center’s previous MRI equipment. GE HealthCare enterprise client director Joel Christensen said the collaboration reflects a shared focus on patient-centered imaging in Utah.
Faster, higher-quality scans also mean patients no longer need to hold their breath for extended periods during cardiac imaging, according to Amy Warnick, MRI coordinator at Intermountain Medical Center. Ms. Warnick said the change reduces physical strain on cardiac patients while improving image quality.
The upgrade positions Intermountain Medical Center, the flagship hospital of Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health, to serve more heart and cancer patients with faster turnaround on diagnostic imaging.
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