MPI Technology at MMC

Back in the late 90s, probably like many of us, we knew Siemens' as a brand of mobile phones. But this company is really more than just phones. Based in Germany, the company also uses technology and innovation for the healthcare industry. And today, I saw how technology works for MMC’s Nuclear Medicine Department using Siemens’ myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) technology.

Nuclear medicine sounds a little high-tech. And am sure that the MPI equipment called Symbia made by Siemens is worth millions of pesos. Photo of the Siemen’s Symbia from www.medical.siemens.com

According to Wikipedia, MPI “evaluates many heart conditions from coronary artery disease (CAD) to hypertropic cardiomyopathy and myocardial wall motion abnormalities.” In simple language, it will find out if there are obstructions to my heart, as explained by Noel Santillan, med-tech assigned at the Nuclear Medicine Facility of MMC. Noel assisted me through the process.

I arrived at MMC a little after 9:00am and had the procedure approved by Medicard. Aileen had facilitated the approval of the procedure. It was quick as there were very few patients around at this time of the day. But don’t come around 10am, as you would surely wait much longer.

The procedure would help determine if I had CAD. What is CAD? According to http://md.gehealthcare.com, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is caused by inadequate blood supply to the heart, usually caused by blocked arteries. My cardiologist needed this test to rule out any possible heart problems.

The procedure involves an injection of a small amount of radioactive material which circulates in the bloodstream and shows if your heart muscle is receiving adequate blood supply under stress and/or rest conditions. Yup, a small amount was injected through a vein in my left palm. Noel reassured me that it was just a very small amount. (Source: http://md.gehealthcare.com)

I waited for the first scan at the Waiting Room. There were lots of magazines. The TV, mounted on the right corner of the room was tuned in to CNN, which was featuring China’s anniversary parade. Tanks and soldiers. I just read about the “Power 100” which featured the top 100 sports personalities in BusinessWeek Magazine. Of course, Kobe, Lebron and Tiger made the list.

What stage will I reach for the treadmill test? That would be another blog entry.