Jefferson Abington Hospital recently announced the introduction of a new portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system that aims to improve the way that patients receive brain imaging.

Abington is the first hospital in the region to adapt this technology for clinical use.

The Hyperfine SWOOP® Portable MR Imaging System is designed for use at the patient’s bedside. It eliminates the need for a patient to be transported to another part of the hospital for an MRI, which proves especially helpful when caring for those who are critically ill.

With patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), a conventional MRI involves coordinating a transport team of two to four staff members in order to move the patient, along with life sustaining devices including respirators, IV lines, tubes and medication, outside of the ICU, down the elevators and into the MRI imaging suite.

“It can sometimes pose a challenge to maneuver and transport our critically ill patients through the hospital for imaging. The SWOOP is portable and has a much lower magnetic field strength, which means we can have brain imaging completed right in the patient’s room. This can improve safety, increase efficiency, decrease a patient’s length of stay and reduce the stress on our staff,” said Jennifer Villa Frabizzio, MD, Neuroradiologist and Director of Neuroimaging at Jefferson.

The SWOOP plugs into a normal outlet and can be ready to scan in under two minutes. Trained technologists run the scanner from an iPad which sends the acquired images to the hospital radiology team. Radiologists interpret the results in the quiet and controlled environment of their reading room. The device is helpful for evaluating patients for stroke, hemorrhage, seizures, hydrocephalus (a buildup of fluid in the cavities deep within the brain) and change in mental status.

Along with improved patient care, the portable MRI system allows for clinical staff and loved ones to safely stay at the patient’s bedside during imaging. In addition, the machine’s open layout can minimize the anxiety that some patients may experience during a conventional MRI.

Currently, the portable MRI system is used for brain scans in Jefferson Abington Hospital’s Neuro, Trauma and Cardiac ICUs. However, work flows are being developed for use in the emergency room and the observation unit.

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Photo courtesy of Jefferson Abington Hospital