A newly developed portable MRI device can identify intracranial hemorrhages, offering life-saving information to doctors, particularly in resource-limited settings. It can help doctors quickly make a life-or-death determination, particularly in areas or scenarios where access to sophisticated brain imaging scans is not readily available.
Undoubtedly, this device can help save lives, especially in rural hospitals or developing countries.
The device, known as the Portable Point-of-Care MRI system, can be wheeled down a hospital hallway, costs a fraction of traditional MRI technologies, and can be used almost anywhere by medical technicians with even minimal training.
The device was developed by Hyperfine Research Inc., a part of the Guilford, Connecticut-based medical technology incubator 4Catalyzer.
Scientists at Yale University examined the efficacy of the device. They compared the results of portable MRI scans of 144 patients at Yale-New Haven Hospital with results obtained from traditional neuroimaging scans. Specifically, the portable MRI was used to scan brain injury patients at the bedside.
Neuroradiologists interpreting images acquired by the portable MRI device correctly identified 80% of intracerebral hemorrhages.
This is the first study that validated a brain hemorrhage’s appearance and clinical implications using a portable MRI device.
Scientists are now determining if the device can diagnose and monitor head trauma and brain tumors and assess brain health in people with risk factors such as high blood pressure.
Journal Reference:
- Mazurek, M.H., Cahn, B.A., Yuen, M.M. et al. Portable, bedside, low-field magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate intracerebral hemorrhage. Nature Communications, 2021; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25441-6