New hi-tech tool develops snag,AIIMS sends for technicians

However,administrative sources say that after repairs being conducted over a period of two weeks,the machine is “back in operation”.

Sources in institute say that the much-anticipated machine was supposed to be installed in 2007,but got delayed due to a series of high-profile admissions. “Both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee were admitted in the same building. So,for security reasons,we had to delay the installation,” a senior doctor from the Neurosurgery department said.

Besides this,lack of trained technicians to run the BrainSuite during surgeries resulted in just 5-8 surgeries being performed through the machine since its inception in February. Dr Ashish Suri,Associate Professor of Neurosurgery,said,“We have organised three training sessions for technicians from the Neuro-radiology department. But it has to be understood that using an MRI machine for surgery is an entirely novel concept in our country. Most technicians are not used to the OT setup. Sometimes,minor glitches occur when people accidentally leave their spectacles in the room while the magnetic field is activated. We are taking it slow because we want people to get used to the machine.”

Another senior doctor from the department said,“The damage to the BrainSuite was completely accidental. There were a few software glitches too,but it is a phenomenal tool and these minor roadblocks can be dealt with easily. However,as we don’t have enough technicians of our own,we cannot run the machine for as long as we would like to.”

A senior administrative official from the hospital said,“We have arranged for three technicians,which the department has to train. These are minor glitches,no major faults with the machine.”

Till these problems are solved,the BrainSuite would be used as a routine MRI machine. “It’s no secret that the waiting period for an MRI in neurosurgery is at least a year. As we do not have an MRI machine of our own,the machine can be used for that purpose for the time being,” a doctor from the Neurosurgery department said.

Surgeries on the machine will not cost patients anything extra,and doctors say it will be boon in complex cases where intricate live scanning during surgeries is required. “It will be as useful a tool as the mobile CT scan in the future,” another doctor said.