On Tuesday May 14 the first ever portable MRI came to visit Radiologic Technology senior students in their RAD 225W Advanced Imaging Procedures course. In this course students learn about different types of imaging exams that can be performed in the cardiac catheterization lab, special procedures lab, fluoroscopy and the Operating Room. Students are also required to do a project on new, innovative technologies in Diagnostic Imaging.
The Hyperfine Swoop MRI is the first of its kind and is best used at the neurocritical bedside. It is a 0.064 Tesla permanent magnet (not superconducting), which allows it to be safely moved throughout the hospital. It has an extendable 5 gauss line which is extended during transport and scanning to ensure the safety of unscreened individuals throughout the hospital.
The benefit of this portable MRI is that it can be easily used in the ICU. This way highly critical patients do not need to be transported, less staff are needed for a patient transfer, and the MRI department is not being tied up for hours doing a critical care patient (allowing the throughput of scheduled patients to continue). The Hyperfine system can also scan bariatric patients, certain implants, ECMO patients, and ventilated patients. The machine is much quieter than traditional MRI scans, so no hearing protection is needed and it is easier to scan pediatric patients in the NICU.
The reps from Hyperfine came to speak to our students and perform a demo scan on a volunteer patient. Throughout the day many hospital affiliates came from hospitals around our area to see this new technology in action!
The Swoop is being used in over 200 locations worldwide. In the Northeast, they have had installations at Weill Cornell, Stamford, CHOP, Vassar Brothers, Christ Hospital, Hackensack Hospital, MGH, and Yale.
Tags: Radiologic Technology
