WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — St. Mary’s Medical Center is the first hospital in Florida to begin using a portable MRI unit, which can provide brain images at the patient's bedside.
The 1,400-pound Swoop system also serves Palm Beach Children’s Hospital patients. Both hospitals are in West Palm Beach.
“By having more tools available to help patients, we can provide better care," Dr. Kaveh Asadi, a pediatric neurosurgeon with the Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute at St. Mary’s, said in a news release. "By acquiring this device at St. Mary’s, we can better treat the whole patient and limit stress, making the focus on healing."
That includes young patients, who might be intimidated by the conventional magnetic resonance imaging system, which is louder and bigger than the portable MRI.
The Swoop can perform a scan with a family member in the room to hold their hand if they are not able to remain in one place long enough to obtain clear images. Recently an MRI was performed on a premature baby in the NICU.
Also patients may be too ill to go to MRI suite. With the bedside system, support equipment can remain in place.
The convention system requires coordination of a transport team of two to four staff members.
The Swoop system’s open design offers the potential to reduce patient anxiety.
The duration of a Swoop exam is comparable to that of a conventional MRI system.
In 2021, Hyperfine created Swoop, the world’s first Food and Drug Administration-approved portable MRI system. The traditional MRI was invented in 1977.
“St. Mary’s is a thought-leading institution in South Florida," Hyperfine Chief Medical Officer Dr. Khan Siddiqui said. “Their adoption of the Swoop system will be a beneficial addition to the hospital’s diagnostic toolset. he system enables clinicians to provide excellent medical care quickly and delivers a completely new, convenient and comfortable MR imaging experience.”
