The Cardiovascular MRI Center at Oklahoma Heart Institute (OHI) was established in Tulsa in February 1999 by Dr. Edward T. Martin in the OHI South Pointe Offices on Mingo Road. It was the first outpatient cardiovascular MRI center in a private cardiology practice in the United States. The Center began operations using a General Electric (GE) Signa CVi 1.5 Tesla MRI system and was a member of the original GE cardiovascular MRI development program.
The Center has been a clinic research site for multiple companies over the years to help with clinical development of MR hardware, software, supplies and coils. These companies have included GE, Guidant Corporation, W.L. Gore and Associates, Invivo corporation, Mallinckrodt, Berlex, ScanMed, Astellas and Siemens.
In addition to performing over 2700 clinical cardiovascular MRI studies per year, the Center has participated in numerous multi-center MRI research trials as well as multiple home-grown research studies.
Oklahoma Heart Institute was the first MRI center in the world to perform a clinical research study on MRI patients with pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Pacemaker patients in need of MRI have come to Tulsa from all around the United States for medically necessary studies.
The Center expanded to two locations after Oklahoma Heart Institute was purchased by Ardent Health Services in April of 2008. The second location officially opened in December 2008 at the Oklahoma Heart Institute Heart Hospital. The two locations now form Oklahoma Heart Institute MRI Department at Hillcrest Medical Center. In December 2008, the Department replaced the GE MRI system with two 1.5 Tesla Siemens Avanto MR Scanners. Oklahoma Heart Institute physicians are now working closely with Siemens scientists to improve operator ease-of-use, diagnostic quality and through-put.
The Department continues as a physician and technologist training site in both cardiac and vascular MR. It also remains a regional, national and international cardiovascular MRI referral center for both adults and children.
Key MRI Center Staff
Edward T. Martin, MD, FACC, FACP, FAHA, Director
Kim Jenkins, ARRT (R) (MR), Senior Technologist
Aaron Smith, ARRT (R) (MR)
Vicki Moore, CNMT