Portable MRI in the Hospital Setting: A Six-year Evaluation of Safety, Tolerability, and Utility
Ian Johnson1, Hailey Brigger1, Annabelle Shanks1, Steph Maynez1, Alison Champagne1, Gordon Sze2, Emily Gilmore1, Rachel Beekman1, Adam De Havenon1, Kevin Sheth1
1Department of Neurology, 2Department of Radiology, Yale School of Medicine
Objective:
To review portable MRI utilization at a single tertiary care center over six years.
Background:
Limited access to conventional MRI poses a challenge in both acute care settings where patients are often critically ill, and in resource-constrained environments. Portable MRI provides bedside neuroimaging that addresses these barriers. We report a six-year experience of pMRI deployment across multiple hospital settings at an urban tertiary care center, focusing on feasibility, safety, and clinical utility.
Design/Methods:
Between July 2018 and December 2024, pMRI scans were performed using a 0.064 T low-field unit. Scans were obtained in emergency department (ED), intensive care unit (ICU), or operating room. Feasibility was assessed by scan completion rates, reasons for non-completion, and patient tolerability. Safety was assessed by adverse event monitoring.
Results:
Of 1,173 attempted pMRI scans, 1,060 (90.4%) were successfully completed. No serious adverse events occurred. Incomplete scans (n=113) were most commonly due to patient requests to stop (n=77, 68.1%), either due to physical discomfort (n=27, 23.9%), claustrophobia (n=23, 21.2%), or an unspecified request (n=27, 23.9%). Additional scans were terminated due to physical incompatibility with the device (n=10, 8.9%), machine failure (n=8, 7.1%), and clinical instability (n=7, 6.2%). Scans were performed across a broad range of settings, most commonly the Neuroscience ICU (n=523, 48.7%), ED (n=346, 32.2%) and Medical ICU (n=58, 5.4%). Presentations included acute ischemic stroke or stroke code (n=371, 32.4%), intracerebral hemorrhage (n=131, 11.4%), white matter hyperintensity screening (n=158, 13.8%), tumor (n=94, 8.2%), subarachnoid hemorrhage (n=52, 4.6%), and cardiac arrest (n=29, 2.5%).
Conclusions:
Portable MRI was safe, well-tolerated, and feasible across acute care settings. Over six years and more than a thousand scans, no serious adverse events occurred, and the majority of patients, including critically ill individuals, successfully completed imaging. These findings highlight pMRI as a reliable bedside tool that expands neuroimaging access and complements conventional MRI.
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