UW/GE CT Protocol Partnership Update
For those unfamiliar, the UW Departments of Radiology and Medical Physics have been working with CT Technologists to improve CT imaging protocols. The goals of improving protocols are to provide clearer images, reduce the number of repeat scans, and provide a better experience for patients. UW partnered with GE Healthcare to get better insight into and better understanding of the capabilities of the GE CT scanners. As part of the partnership, UW provides their CT protocols to current and future GE CT users, which helps these users save time and resources. Read below to learn about the newest developments from the partnership.
In August 2020, a new member was added to the CT Protocol Optimization Team: Rachel Bladorn, BS RT(R)(CT). In her role, Rachel will help write protocols and instructional documents, load protocols, program CT scanners, and pull data from various sources for analysis and protocol validation.
The UW CT Protocol Optimization Team continues to bring high quality CT protocols to the rest of the world. Through September of 2020, nearly 3,000 GE scanners with UW CT protocols have shipped worldwide. This shipment of scanners includes 1,374 scanners in the US, 34 in Canada, 32 in Mexico, and 1,353 internationally in 98 countries.
In December 2020, UW delivered Version 6.0 of the CT protocols to GE for distribution. UW protocols currently support 11 GE scanner platforms. Updates in Version 6.0 included, but were not limited to, the following:
- 15 new protocols were added
- The CT Brain Perfusion Guidance was updated
- Several protocols that enable the use of Auto Prescription and kV Assist features were introduced on the Revolution CT
- Protocols that combine a Routine Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis with a Routine Neck were added that include decreased contrast volumes and scan delay adjustments
- Cardiovascular Protocols were revised to reflect a weight-based contrast model
- All Pediatric protocols were updated to scan faster, which is ideal in the pediatric population to decrease motion
Stay up to date on partnership developments here, and check-out the map distribution of the UW CT protocol scanners below.
For a map of CT scanner installations with UW Protocols, click https://uwgect.wiscweb.wisc.edu/locations/.