EDMONTON — A key piece of machinery in Alberta used in diagnostic tests such as cancer and heart disease is back up and running after a four-week shutdown.
Alberta Health Services says the cyclotron, which is in Edmonton, has returned to full service and is producing the substance required for certain scans.
It is rescheduling 65 patients who were awaiting new appointments, as well as booking about 300 patients who are waiting for their first appointments.
They will be booked based on urgency as determined by radiologists.
AHS says it plans to clear the backlog in three to four weeks by providing additional scans each day and on weekends.
The cyclotron creates a product that works as a dye in diagnostic tests.
AHS brought in the product from other provinces to provide exams while the cyclotron was down due to equipment failure.
