First-Ever Portable MRI Machine Is 10 Times Lighter And 20 Times Cheaper

When we hear MRI machines, we think about giant tube-like machines where patients are put inside a hollow tube. For people who suffer from claustrophobia, this is a nightmare.

Conventional MRI machines look huge, are immobile and cost a lot. This also means that a patient needs to come to a dedicated room. They are then put on a tray to be taken into the machine for scanning. But what if the patient isn’t in a condition that can be brought into the scanning room? Unfortunately, the patient can’t be scanned and receive adequate treatment. To fix this, researchers have come up with a solution.

Hyperfine has developed a portable MRI machine. The machine can be moved around different rooms and kept at the bedside. Compared to the cost of conventional MRI machines, the price of this portable one is only $50,000. The machine is equipped with a 0.0064 Tesla magnet, which is 10 times less power than 1.5T MRI machines.

Moreover, patients don’t need to go into a room that doesn’t have any metal objects. They can use the machine even when they are wearing watches, belts or jewelry. These are not allowed when using regular MRI machines.

This machine has just received approval from the FDA on the same day the study on it was published. The study involved 85 stroke patients using the portable machine for one week. Among these patients, only six underwent claustrophobia and some couldn't fit into the machine. The rest had positive results.

With the clearance, the machine can now be used to scan patients who are two years old and above.

MD and Senior Author, Yale School of Medicine’s chief physician, Kevin Seth said:

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