Is it time to have MRI machines available at the stadiums?

[Balony_pony16]

I think having a MRI machine to rule out ligament damages is a little extreme...

But I could see the AFL doing a great things for the community if they could find a way to fund these machine and outsource them to regional hospitals/communities on weekdays

 

[Balony_pony16]

Mobile MRI
http://www.medical.siemens.com/siemens/de_DE/gg_mr_FBAs/files/brochures/Mobile_Gesamtflyer_final.pdf

 

[Balony_pony16]

with the state of health care in this country and the level of equipment being provided at the grounds it wont be long before the general public are buying memberships just to access the health services that come with it.

" you cant be seen for a few hours but please take a seat in bay 27"

"no sir Collingwood memberships don't include dental"

haha...what about having those mobile denist funded by the AFL to attend Collingwood games?

 

[Starburns_]

with the state of health care in this country and the level of equipment being provided at the grounds it wont be long before the general public are buying memberships just to access the health services that come with it.

" you cant be seen for a few hours but please take a seat in bay 27"

"no sir Collingwood memberships don't include dental"

 

[Vdubs]

The guy on the show said a couple of hundred thousand. Even if it was a couple of million how much is the latest TV rights deal worth?!

no he didn't, that was the other machine, Hot Spot. MRI machines are hugely expensive, and would be great. Perhaps a problem could arise if there are multiple serious injuries on a given day from both teams, and there was a queue to have a scan during a match. And there would have to be an independent radiologist reporting these images, confidentiality etc. Scans take 20-30 mins each. Eddie's hot on it due to Luke Ball, but it can be pretty difficult at times to be black and white, no pun intended, about the integrity of an ACL for example, and whether it may be a partial tear, and whether a player would listen to someone if it was felt to be a partial tear if that player then felt it was worth "trying it out."

It will happen, I can see each venue getting a machine in the not too distant future. This is a legally driven world.

 

[Vdubs]

Personally I'd be very offended if expensive MRI machines are ever used anywhere but in hospitals where everybody has access to them, not just overpaid footballers.

FWIW, there are numerous MRI scanners in non hospital Radiology clinics, without a medicare rebate, and anybody willing to pay $300 can have one, if no contraindications. It just takes money and Radiologists. Each footy venue is an ideal place to have a machine, and naturally, should be accessible for use by the public "off peak". Etihad, MCG, KP for starters in Victoria. . Cant comment on interstate, but same deal.

And these overpaid footballers are given priority scans on weekends and during the week at any of these existing scanners.. And the public has a huge waiting list to get access to a public hospital MRI scanner. So you cannot really use that as an argument.

 

[Balony_pony16]

FWIW, there are numerous MRI scanners in non hospital Radiology clinics, without a medicare rebate, and anybody willing to pay $300 can have one, if no contraindications. It just takes money and Radiologists. Each footy venue is an ideal place to have a machine, and naturally, should be accessible for use by the public "off peak". Etihad, MCG, KP for starters in Victoria. . Cant comment on interstate, but same deal.

And these overpaid footballers are given priority scans on weekends and during the week at any of these existing scanners.. And the public has a huge waiting list to get access to a public hospital MRI scanner. So you cannot really use that as an argument.

In SA most Radiology clinics are privately run, and in regional areas we dont have any MRI's in regional areas.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/country-patients-on-long-mri-road/story-e6frea6u-1226024664407

Really, people cant complain if the AFL can help fund extra MRI machines in each football state, as it would only be a benefit to the public, as you could count on it that they wouldn't be sitting idle during the week

personally I like the idea of Mobile MRI machines as off peak they could be used in regional areas where there are great shortages.
http://www.medical.siemens.com/weba...~e_-11~a_pageId~e_75584~a_storeId~e_10001.htm

The big question is are they affordable for the AFL, or could they do a joint funding with governments considering they would only require them on weekdays.

or if the AFL funded them it would be a nice tax deduction on the million dollar TV deals

 

[Balony_pony16]

It will happen, I can see each venue getting a machine in the not too distant future. This is a legally driven world.

yep..the world is run by litigation these days unfortunately

 

[Anth_5]

In reference to using a 'hot spot machine' or in other words getting a 'bone scan' the hot spot will not show up unless you have been injected with a dye into your blood stream. I had one done a month ago to identify a stress fracture in my fibula. The dye itself takes 3 hours to allow for a clear scan to eventuate, so this machine is less useful than an MRI machine. Niether will occur imo, and niether need to, if you are getting a player scanned and putting in the effort of waiting 30 minutes for the result of an MRI, then that player shouldn't play the remainder of the game. Simple.

 

[Balony_pony16]

In reference to using a 'hot spot machine' or in other words getting a 'bone scan' the hot spot will not show up unless you have been injected with a dye into your blood stream. I had one done a month ago to identify a stress fracture in my fibula. The dye itself takes 3 hours to allow for a clear scan to eventuate, so this machine is less useful than an MRI machine. Niether will occur imo, and niether need to, if you are getting a player scanned and putting in the effort of waiting 30 minutes for the result of an MRI, then that player shouldn't play the remainder of the game. Simple.

yeah good points...I think the MRI would only benefit investigating possible ligament damage. Anyone got a time frame on that?

 

[Balony_pony16]

or we could just increase the sub numbers to cover injuries...with independent medical staff making the sub call to avoid rorting?

Because potentially the AFL could spend millions of dollars on MRI machines all for a handful of scans a year

 

[Messenger]

In reference to using a 'hot spot machine' or in other words getting a 'bone scan' the hot spot will not show up unless you have been injected with a dye into your blood stream. I had one done a month ago to identify a stress fracture in my fibula. The dye itself takes 3 hours to allow for a clear scan to eventuate, so this machine is less useful than an MRI machine. Niether will occur imo, and niether need to, if you are getting a player scanned and putting in the effort of waiting 30 minutes for the result of an MRI, then that player shouldn't play the remainder of the game. Simple.

This the area I work in; that is all correct and so it isn't feasible to perform one in game. The factor that makes it non-viable in new injuries is that you relying on repair changes in the bone beginning. These typically take 1-3 days post injury to manifest.

 

[mxett]

In SA most Radiology clinics are privately run, and in regional areas we dont have any MRI's in regional areas.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/country-patients-on-long-mri-road/story-e6frea6u-1226024664407

Really, people cant complain if the AFL can help fund extra MRI machines in each football state, as it would only be a benefit to the public, as you could count on it that they wouldn't be sitting idle during the week

personally I like the idea of Mobile MRI machines as off peak they could be used in regional areas where there are great shortages.
http://www.medical.siemens.com/weba...~e_-11~a_pageId~e_75584~a_storeId~e_10001.htm

The big question is are they affordable for the AFL, or could they do a joint funding with governments considering they would only require them on weekdays.

or if the AFL funded them it would be a nice tax deduction on the million dollar TV deals

There is no way they would be funded by the government. MRI licenses are distributed according to geography and the location of existing major hospitals. There are already more than enough licensed MRI services in the city of Melbourne. The fringe areas of Melbourne are the ones that need the next licenses. Dandenong hospital is the nearest licensed MRI for the gippsland region. They need one before the MCG or Etihad.

So that leaves the option of the AFL funding the entire thing, a very very costly exercise. I can't see an MRI located at the MCG succeeding as a viable private service either. There are enough private MRIs services in the city of Melbourne already. Plus they are all located within comprehensive radiology departments offering other radiology tests such as X-ray and CT scanning. It is worth noting that for safety reasons MRI services should have X-ray facilities on site as well.

 

[mxett]

In reference to using a 'hot spot machine' or in other words getting a 'bone scan' the hot spot will not show up unless you have been injected with a dye into your blood stream. I had one done a month ago to identify a stress fracture in my fibula. The dye itself takes 3 hours to allow for a clear scan to eventuate, so this machine is less useful than an MRI machine. Niether will occur imo, and niether need to, if you are getting a player scanned and putting in the effort of waiting 30 minutes for the result of an MRI, then that player shouldn't play the remainder of the game. Simple.

My understanding is they are talking about hot spot as is used in the cricket. This is a thermal scan.

A nuclear medicine bone scan uses a radioactive tracer to highlight areas of activity as seen in inflammation or infection. A special scintigraphy scanner is needed to capture the radioactivity as it exits the body to create it in to a meaningful image. I cannot see how a thermal scanning device will help in this case.

 

[mxett]

yeah good points...I think the MRI would only benefit investigating possible ligament damage. Anyone got a time frame on that?

You could get a diagnosis of ligament damage within 20minutes or even less if targeting a specific ligament only like the ACL.

MRI also demonstrates the effects of bone damage, similar to bone scans, because it can identify bone marrow oedema. But unlike bone scans or xray it shows every type of soft tissue such as cartilage, ligament, tendon, muscle, fat, etc exceedingly well.

However MRI actually doesnt see bone itself particularly well because hard bone has few water or fat molecules. It shows the resultant soft tissue swelling that occurs as result of a fracture, but not the fracture itself in any real detail. An X-ray or CT scan is required for this.

 

[Anth_5]

This the area I work in; that is all correct and so it isn't feasible to perform one in game. The factor that makes it non-viable in new injuries is that you relying on repair changes in the bone beginning. These typically take 1-3 days post injury to manifest.

I knew I was leaving something out! Thanks

 

[Anth_5]

My understanding is they are talking about hot spot as is used in the cricket. This is a thermal scan.

A nuclear medicine bone scan uses a radioactive tracer to highlight areas of activity as seen in inflammation or infection. A special scintigraphy scanner is needed to capture the radioactivity as it exits the body to create it in to a meaningful image. I cannot see how a thermal scanning device will help in this case.

Sorry, I did not watch the show so was not sure!!

 

[juss]

Whether it's a good idea or not, if it's happening somewhere else in the elite world of sport, it will probably happen here one day too. Give it maybe 5-10 years and I'm sure they'll have something similar here.

 

[CF]

It wont happen here. Never will. Stupid idea really whoever thought it up.

 

[Vdubs]

My understanding is they are talking about hot spot as is used in the cricket. This is a thermal scan.

A nuclear medicine bone scan uses a radioactive tracer to highlight areas of activity as seen in inflammation or infection. A special scintigraphy scanner is needed to capture the radioactivity as it exits the body to create it in to a meaningful image. I cannot see how a thermal scanning device will help in this case.

spot on, they were referring to the thermal hot spot machine, in fact it is on right NOW

 

[madmadworld]

12 years later
How about just a X-ray machine at the MCG ?

 

[cactuscall]

Tom Morris, Sam McClure and company must all get little hard on's whenever they get to say "optics".

 

[kreuze_missile]

Nah, maybe Melbourne just need to work on their culture and player welfare.

 

[Slime Roy]

Dees Medicos..

 

[Engimal v3]

The M stands for Machine, you don't have to say "MRI Machine". It's like "ATM".