Quality and Outcomes Reports - Herma Heart Center

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Procedures - Volume

Why we measure it - Research shows that physicians and hospitals that treat a large number of patients gain experience and therefore tend to provide better care and have improved outcomes for treatments and procedures. 

What this means - Increasingly, physicians are finding that MRI provides a very important, noninvasive tool for imaging the beating heart without radiation. A cardiac MRI provides excellent anatomic detail and helps determine ventricular volumes and size of other cardiac structures (such as valves and vessels), calculation of heart function, measurement of blood flow and assessment of injury to the heart muscle. It has replaced some need for more invasive diagnostic procedures, such as cardiac catheterizations. As more cardiac MRI studies are presented at Cardiology/Cardiothoracic Surgery Conference and dedicated cardiac MRI journal club presentations occur, members of the Herma Heart Center continue to gain expertise regarding when to refer patients to cardiac MRI.

About the data - This graph reflects cardiac MRI procedures captured in our billing system in years 2007-2010.

Related dimensions of care:

What we're doing to provide the best care:

  • We expanded our clinic space and our capacity to perform cardiac MRI studies.
  • We upgraded our Siemens 1.5 T Symphony magnet's software to the TIM platform, allowing improved cardiac imaging. In addition, our capacity to image is increased by having access to another Siemens 1.5 T Symphony® magnet with staff trained in cardiac imaging.
  • We obtained the Medis® MASS and Flow Analysis package to allow efficiency in quantification of ventricular volumes and vessel blood flow.
  • We purchased Vital Images® software to aid in 3-dimensional reconstruction of gadolinium enhanced MR angiograms.
  • We continue to train future pediatric cardiologists in our fellowship program, and all are exposed to cardiac MRI through dedicated conferences. In additional, we have funding for a fourth year fellow in non-invasive imaging, which includes both advanced training in echocardiography and cardiac MRI.
  • We participate in ongoing cardiac MRI research.

Patients and families:

  • If you cannot keep a scheduled MRI appointment, please call Stephanie Laabs (414) 266-7584 or Stephanie Schmidt (414) 266-2556, to reschedule.
  • Please arrive for your cardiac MRI scan one hour prior to your appointment, so that we can gather needed information from you and prepare your child for their MRI.
  • Bring the name, address, phone and fax numbers of your primary care and/or referring doctor so we can update them appropriately on your care.
  • Bring a full list of the medications your child is taking including over-the-counter medicines such as vitamins and supplements.

Referring physicians:

  • Fill out and fax a referral form prior to sending the patient to Children's Hospital for outpatient ancillary services or a specialty clinic visit. 
  • Forward any pertinent patient documentation, including test results, to the specialty physician's office prior to the patient's visit.
  • Referring physicians can access our specialists for consultation or transport 24 hours a day. Call our physician referral line at (800) 266-0366.  
  • Health care providers from outside of our southeastern Wisconsin service area are encouraged to use our web-based
    e-Consult service. This service is available for non-urgent patient cases only and gives providers access to our specialists to review patient cases, obtain medical advice or second opinions, and receive care recommendations for rare symptoms and illnesses.
    e-Consult is not to be used by the general public, parents/guardians or families.
  • Care guidelines for medical professionals
  • Educational materials
  • Pocket Directory

If you have questions about this information, email us or call (414) 266-6556.