The donation of a SPECT camera by the IAEA to a hospital in Niteroi, Brazil, has doubled the capacity for heart scans, benefiting over two million underserved individuals. This advanced technology has drastically reduced waiting times and expanded training for medical professionals, aligning with efforts to improve access to essential health services. The IAEA’s support has resulted in a transformative impact on patient care and healthcare quality.
In Brazil, the donation of a SPECT camera by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has significantly enhanced heart diagnostic services at a busy hospital in Niteroi, enabling the institution to double its capacity to conduct heart scans. This advancement provides life-saving health services to over two million individuals in underserved areas, addressing a critical healthcare need.
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading global cause of mortality, with cardiac diseases such as heart attacks being a major public health issue in Brazil. While lifestyle modifications are essential for prevention, specialized tests like nuclear medicine procedures are crucial for early detection, contributing to the reduction of mortality rates associated with heart failure.
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a nuclear medicine technique that utilizes gamma rays for 3D imaging of bodily organs, particularly in assessing cardiac function. According to Enrique Estrada Lobato, a nuclear medicine physician at the IAEA, “In cardiology, SPECT tomography is standard to diagnose coronary artery disease and wall abnormalities,” serving as an important tool in myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for evaluating blood flow in the heart muscle.
The Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro (HUAP), the sole public hospital in Niteroi with a nuclear medicine department, previously relied on an outdated gamma camera, which prolonged image acquisition times and hindered patient throughput. Claudio Tinoco Mesquita, Associate Professor of Radiology at the Universidade Federal Fluminense and head of nuclear medicine at HUAP, stated, “The old equipment served us well, but it could not deal with the increasing needs for exams in our region,” noting that the waiting list had exceeded six hundred patients, with delays extending to over eight months.
Recommendations for upgrading the department’s equipment emerged from IAEA QUANUM audits conducted in 2013 and 2017. Consequently, the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission sought assistance from the IAEA, resulting in the installation of a dual-head gamma camera equipped with IQ-SPECT at HUAP in August 2023.
“This donation changed everything. MPI scans that lasted over 20 minutes are now done in 6 to 7 minutes, and our waiting list is significantly shorter,” Mesquita highlighted. The equipment upgrade not only significantly increased capacity but also provided access to nuclear medicine procedures for over 1,000 additional patients within the first ten months.
Furthermore, the new technology facilitates the expansion of training initiatives for nuclear medicine professionals and supports the introduction of a residency program for medical physicists, who are essential in conducting these exams. Mesquita remarked, “This is a success story that connects the quest for quality and the fight to improve access to health services for poor people in Brazil.”
The IAEA plays a critical role in supporting countries through technical cooperation and health programs, enhancing the use of nuclear and radiation medicine for diagnosing and treating noncommunicable diseases, especially cardiovascular conditions. The agency also emphasizes the implementation of quality management systems to improve the safety and effectiveness of nuclear medicine services.
The introduction of the new SPECT camera at Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro marks a significant improvement in cardiac care in Niteroi, Brazil. This initiative has not only doubled the capacity for heart scans and reduced waiting times but also expanded training and created new residency programs, thereby enhancing the overall quality of healthcare services available to underserved populations. The support from the IAEA has been pivotal in transforming the delivery of nuclear medicine in Brazil.
Original Source: www.miragenews.com
