# Zoo asked to scan obese patients



## Northerner (Dec 2, 2012)

BOSSES at Edinburgh Zoo are turning down a request a month from Scottish health boards asking for help to carry out scans on obese patients.
Health bosses regularly call Scotland?s only zoo, begging to use their specialist equipment to carry out MRI scans on overweight Scots.
But the zoo, who look after pandas, rhinos and bears ? animals that can weigh up to 50 stone, say they can?t help ? because they don?t have big enough scanners either.

Health campaigners have branded the revelation as ?demeaning for patients? and said the NHS should invest in specialised scanners.
Rachel Goddard, PR manager of Edinburgh Zoo said they received a call a month from Scotland?s 14 health boards.
She said: ?We have been asked regularly in the last year. It?s MRI scanners that we get calls about from NHS hospitals.
?There are no zoos in the UK that have large wild animal size MRI scanners ? there may be some in the US, but not that we are aware of.
?We use specially adapted X-ray and ultrasound equipment ? basically the difference is that they are mobile. They?re only a little bit bigger than regular human ones, but we are able to take them to the animal ? the animal doesn?t have to come to the machine.
?We?ve had to say no to the NHS because we just don?t have what they?re looking for.?

http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/12/02/zoo-asked-to-scan-obese-patients/


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## trophywench (Dec 2, 2012)

Why can't the NHS use mobile equipment then?

Instead of making it yet another FAT headline or demanding the NHS spend a ton of money when there's a relatively cheap way of solving it?

I had a 999 type hypo once when my A&E had a major incident on their hands, and I never made it into A&E, the paramedic had set up a drip, I didn't get into the ambulance till I was already conscious again and I was left in a corridor for over an hour.  Not even a drip stand so was pleased when husband arrived as I needed a pee, so he came with me as a human drip stand LOL.  After that Pete went and got a nurse, we asked her to remove the drip (or I would, please herself which LOL) which she did after checking my BG was OK and we went home.  

Should I have complained and told the newspaper I felt demeaned and they needed to get bigger premises and more staff?

Bollards, I wasn't an emergency by the time I got there - so much simpler to go home, didn't even discharge myself cos they hadn't done any peperwork.


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## Pigeon (Dec 2, 2012)

trophywench said:


> Why can't the NHS use mobile equipment then?
> 
> Instead of making it yet another FAT headline or demanding the NHS spend a ton of money when there's a relatively cheap way of solving it?



They do! The article talks about 3 different imaging techniques, in quite a confusing way. It starts talking about MRI scanners, which cannot be mobile as they need to be in a room with special radio-frrquency shielding - also you have to be careful who can get in as they use strong magnetic fields which interfere with pacemakers, insulin pumps etc. So MRI scanners are never mobile to be taken round wards to different beds or out to patient's homes. 

The zoo then mentions that they have portable x-ray and ultrasound equipment which can be taken to different animals - which the NHS also has!


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## trophywench (Dec 2, 2012)

Look, I'm probably going to upset somebody here but her's the question.

I do know that the cause of obesity defintely isn't always pies, BUT

Is it possible to become THAT obese you can't fit in a normal MRI scanner, without you or your partner/mother/whoever - noticing?

I ask this because I'd guess that it isn't possible.

In which case why not publicise that fact - if you are above this weight and this girth - should you need an MRI scan you'll be unlucky - so if you are getting anywhere within (eg) 20% of these numbers, and you value your life -  time to go and get help from (your GP or a special service or whatever)

The irresponsible people may fall off their perch; that's up to them, but the responsible might be suffering from anything at all and never go to find out or be fobbed off, if there wasn't a compelling reason for the doctor to find out exactly why.  

This puts pressure on both sides, but hey - health is sposed to be a partnership, innit?


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