A new Short Stay Unit has opened at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH), signalling the completion of the first stage in a two-stage project to create an Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (IMRI) Theatre Service.
(Then) Executive Director Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group, Dr Victor Cheng (currently Acting Executive Director Princess Margaret Hospital), said the new Unit would not only improve patient care but also allow for the beginning of the final stage of the IMRI project.
“The Short Stay Unit will improve the flow of elective procedure and surgery patients through the hospital, and also provide patients with more space, more privacy and a quieter pre-surgery and post-operative environment,” he said.
“It also enables work to begin on the development of the IMRI suite and two new operating theatres which – when completed in early 2018 – will allow for a fully functioning IMRI service.”
IMRI is more sensitive than other imaging techniques at identifying structures within the brain, and brain tumours, with real-time imaging available during a surgical procedure.
When completed, the IMRI service will supplement the existing State Neurosurgery Service, enabling the team to provide world-class surgical treatment to patients requiring complex neurosurgery and bring SCGH in line with comparable services worldwide.