Dear AuntMinnie Member,
As we go to press, the U.K. National Health Service (NHS) is still struggling to recover from a devastating ransomware cyberattack that began May 12 and brought at least a dozen NHS hospitals in to their knees.
Our sister site AuntMinnieEurope.com has been following the story closely; you can read the initial details of the attack by clicking here, as well as a follow-up article on how the NHS has been struggling to get back on its feet by clicking here.
As the dust begins to settle, we're starting to learn about how the cyberattack developed and what security vulnerabilities it exploited. There seems to be a connection between the attack and NHS hospitals that were running outdated versions of the Windows XP operating system -- which Microsoft hasn't supported for the past three years. There have also been reports that some hospitals ignored warnings prior to the attack to update their security settings.
On a broader level, the ransomware episode has ominous lessons for a global society that is increasingly interconnected and reliant on computer technology to function. It seems obvious that when it comes to a hospital's mission, maintaining effective computer security is just as important as providing quality clinical care. Because if your computers aren't working, you aren't delivering any care at all.
Keep up with this developing story by visiting AuntMinnieEurope.com's Imaging Informatics Community, at informatics.auntminnieeurope.com.
Gadolinium dose calculator
In our MRI Community, we're highlighting a new resource designed to address one of the most confusing aspects of MRI contrast administration: exactly how much contrast to use.
The confusion comes from the fact that multiple gadolinium-based contrast agents have been approved, all with different requirements for formulation and dosing. And that can be confusing when you're trying to keep gadolinium exposure to a minimum.
Read more about the calculator by clicking here, or visit our MRI Community at mri.auntminnie.com.
CEUS vs. MRI
Finally, be sure to visit our Ultrasound Community for a new article on a study in the May issue of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine that compared contrast ultrasound (CEUS) with MRI for assessing response to therapy for breast cancer. Researchers found that CEUS had a number of advantages -- learn what they are by clicking here, or visit the community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
