Rendering of the Siemens Artis-Q, x-ray equipment purchased using a more than $2 million grant awarded to upgrade one of three catheterization labs at SMH.

While X-ray technology for more than a century has allowed physicians to peer inside patients, it’s always come with a level of risk, with exposure to radiation. That’s why chemotherapy patients can only have so many doses of radiation in a lifetime.

“There’s debate about just how much radiation exposure is safe,” says Sarasota Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Kim Savage. “Technically any amount of radiation can be harmful.”

While X-ray techs and patients don’t get exposed to that type of concentrated radiation, they still look for ways to cut down exposure with every equipment upgrade. New upgrades to Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s three cardiac catheterization labs, which use X-ray machines to explore the interior of patients’ hearts in an effort to cut down heart attack risks, substantially cut down the hazards tied to a mission of healing.

The Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation invested $2 million toward new improvements to the labs. In addition to reducing rad counts, modern equipment also should advance the diagnosis ability and treatment capacity for heart attack victims. 

“These grants go to the heart of our mission as a Foundation to ensure world-class healthcare throughout our community,” says Healthcare Foundation President Mason Ayres.

As the Foundation covered those upgrades, it also issued $370,000 to upgrade radiologists imaging software, which in addition to improving the catheterization lab performance also will help spot warning signs of strokes. It’s all part of a wider investment in technology to keep SMH competitive with the best hospitals in the world.

Rendering of the Siemens Artis-Q, x-ray equipment purchased using a more than $2 million grant awarded to upgrade one of three catheterization labs at SMH.