New CT saves man's life

Bill Kading is a 64-year-old food service director at Desert Springs Hospital. He didn’t actively think about death, but it was always in the back of his mind. Of course, everyone wonders about it from time to time. Working in a hospital would certainly cause you to think about it more often. When Kading thought about death, he wondered if he would go the same way his parents did: heart failure.As of that moment he had no problems with his heart. He was a healthy guy living a normal life. He doesn’t put any excess strain on his heart. You can’t shake genetics though. No matter how healthy you are, genetics will sneak up on you with the worst diseases.He always wanted to get testing done to see if he would end up with heart failure. Kading is a smart man and knows that advanced technology isn’t easy to come by. One lucky day he heard that Desert Springs CEO Sam Kaufman had ordered a scanner with just those capabilities. The best part is that he was offering hospital employees free scans so doctors could become familiar with the machine. Kading was a lucky man to be an employee at Desert Springs.Only naturally, Kading was the first to sign up for the scan in January. This advanced diagnostic imaging procedure uses a combination of X-rays and computer technology to produce cross-sectional images, both vertically and horizontally. The new 256-CT scanner is immensely superior to the 64-slice CT. The new machine produces images much faster and is more accurate. It even gives off less radiation, so much as 80 percent less.The hospital’s radiology director, Lan-Dai Addington, stated, “Though it was the latest and greatest, not everybody wanted to be the first volunteer. Bill took the initiative. He wanted to know if he had the heart disease that ran in his family.”The scans came back to reveal that Kading’s heart was healthy. There was no signs of atherosclerosis either. His arteries were completely clean. However, a mass was found on his left lung. After further testing, the mass was revealed to be cancerous. The news was terrifying for Kaping. He couldn’t believe it. He was worried about his heart when it was his lung that was the problem.It ended up being a good thing overall. If Kaping didn’t volunteer so eagerly to have the scan done, the cancer would have not been found. Kaping felt perfectly healthy prior to the scan, so he showed no signs of the cancer. It was caught in enough time that his life was saved. Kading had to get his left lung removed, but he is doing better now.The new CT scanner caught diseases on a few other patients as well. This innovative technology has the ability to save many lives.If you are in need of a CT scan, visit Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging Center. They offer advanced technology and a wonderful staff to help you through the process. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact 702.732.6000.