Leading-Edge Scanner at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Gilbertsville Scans the Heart in Just One Beat

The latest generation of the world’s first cardiovascular and thoracic computed tomography (CT) scanner recently arrived at LVH–Gilbertsville. The innovative Arineta CT scanner can scan the entire heart within one heartbeat.

This investment brings the first dedicated cardiovascular and thoracic CT scanner designed to provide comprehensive clinical information for diagnosis and therapy planning to Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and patients in our region.

Thanks to the new CT scanner, it’s possible to perform faster scans without compromising quality and accuracy, according to Kunal Patel, MD, Director of Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute. Physicians from the Heart and Vascular Institute collaborate on protocols and diagnostic interpretation standards with Medical Imaging of Lehigh Valley, P.C.

“We are excited to offer the Arineta CT scanner to the LVHN community because of its small profile, as well as its ability to scan people with irregular and fast heart rates,” Dr. Patel says. “It provides quality cardiac CT images in a rapid, efficient manner with very limited radiation.”

The scanner can assess much more than the coronary arteries, Dr. Patel says. In fact, he notes that it provides “head-to-toe cardiovascular coverage.”

As such, the Arineta CT scanner can be used to assist in planning the following kinds of surgeries:

• Peripheral vascular, electrophysiology and thoracic procedures
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement to treat a diseased or malfunctioning aortic heart valve
• Implantation of the WATCHMAN™ device to treat nonvalvular atrial fibrillation
• Implantation of the MitraClip™ to treat mitral valve regurgitation

He emphasized that installing the Arineta CT scanner at LVH–Gilbertsville is only the first step in bringing the most advanced scanning capabilities to the community.

“We are actively looking into expanding and adding Arineta CT scanners to other locations across LVHN in the future,” Dr. Patel says.

LVHN was the region’s first to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and is recognized as a center for performing complex mitral valve repair surgery. LVHN leads the region in the life-saving technology known as ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and has specialized programs in women’s heart health, sports cardiology, advanced heart failure technologies, peripheral vascular and venous care and rhythm disturbance care.