The JFK University Medical Center in Edison receives the Swoop mobile MRI from Hyperfine Research and immediately performs its first procedure next to a patient’s bed. PHOTO: COURTESY OF HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
The JFK University Medical Center in Edison receives the Swoop mobile MRI from Hyperfine Research and immediately performs its first procedure next to a patient’s bed. PHOTO: COURTESY OF HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center is the first hospital in New Jersey to operate a new portable MRI that can be placed beside the bed of critically ill patients.
The world’s first portable MRI, called Swoop, allows doctors to obtain neurological images of critically ill patients at the clinic quickly and conveniently, according to information provided by Hackensack Meridian Health.
The Swoop Portable MR Imaging System is manufactured by Hyperfine Research.
“JFK University Medical Center is proud to be at the forefront in setting new standards of treatment for the diagnosis and treatment of strokes and neurovascular diseases,” said Amie Thornton, chief executive of the hospital at JFK University Medical Center, in a statement released by Hackensack Meridian. “Introducing the MRI Portable Swoop is the latest example of our commitment to providing our patients with the most technologically and clinically advanced care available anywhere.”
“As one of the leading neurovascular and stroke centers in the state, we are very proud to be the first in New Jersey and one of the first to adopt this MRI technology in the United States,” said Siddhart K. Mehta, MD, Stroke and Neurovascular Center, JFK University Medical Center, said in the statement. “Our mission is to provide an exceptional level of comprehensive and specialized hospital and outpatient care for patients with neurovascular diseases. With this technology, we are promoting our mission to provide a coordinated approach with the use of the most current and effective treatments and technologies. “
Unlike traditional MRI scans, Swoop was intentionally designed with technology usable in intensive care units and other hospital rooms where metal objects are common, making the experience more convenient for patients and professionals, according to the statement.
“It is very exciting to bring Hyperfine to JFK,” said Blake Caplan, managing director of the Neuroscience Institute at JFK University Medical Center, in a statement. “The ability to bring MRI to the bedside will help our center to raise the level of service and solve a number of logistical problems, legacy solutions present.”
Some of the potential advantages of mobile MRI include:
- Scanning patients in the emergency room, reducing waiting times and speeding up diagnosis
- Scanning of COVID-19 patients at the bedside, reducing the risk of transporting infectious patients to the hospital
- Improved monitoring of patients in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit while they recover
“We are proud to work with the JFK Neuroscience Institute and its comprehensive stroke center certified at the JFK University Medical Center to bring this category-defining technology to the people of New Jersey,” said Dr. Khan Siddiqui, medical director at Hyperfine, in the statement. “The adoption of Swoop by the institute offers a new diagnostic tool for essential and timely action in complex medical cases, such as stroke, and will allow doctors to improve the excellent quality of patient care for which JFK is known.”