Top 10 MR stories of the year

December 21, 2022

MRI

From the November 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Mounting helium shortages raise concerns over future MR access

Low helium levels across the globe have left healthcare stakeholders worried about the implications for MR scans, and the patients who need them.

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With a boiling point of -452 degrees Fahrenheit, liquid helium is the coldest element on earth and used to keep MR magnets cool and the magnetic current superconductive. For this, MR systems require some 2,000 liters of the element.

But because helium is a nonrenewable element, the current shortage has caused suppliers to curb how they allocate its use and how much to supply each customer based on their respective needs, according to NBC News.

“Helium is on allocation for sure,” said Donna Craft, a regional construction manager for Premier Inc. who contracts with helium suppliers for some 4,000 hospitals, told NBC News in October. “We’re probably not blowing up balloons in the gift shop anymore.”

Additionally, the war in Ukraine has made the situation more challenging, as the U.S. was relying on Russia up until this year to alleviate the burden of having such a tight supply.

The Eurasian country recently constructed a new facility out east that was supposed to provide nearly one-third of the world’s helium. A fire last January halted production there, and while it could still reopen any day, the war has stopped trade for the most part between it and the U.S.

As a result, four of five major U.S. helium suppliers are prioritizing healthcare providers because of the important need for MR imaging and reducing amounts distributed to other, less essential customers.

Despite this, providers are still facing challenges with the shortage, especially from the alarming rise in the cost for helium, which has risen as much as 30%.

While they have not canceled appointments or shut down MR machines, Ioannis Panagiotelis, chief marketing officer for MR at GE Healthcare, says that "every industry and hospital with an MR system has been affected.”

The predicament has raised questions about future reliance on MR imaging, with radiology experts saying that its 3D images are irreplaceable.

“It’s central to many things we do in modern medicine,” Dr. Scott Reeder, chief of MR at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, told NBC News.


(92) (21) (1) (12) Steven Ford Possible problems with this study March 08, 2023 12:47 The study was partially sponsored by the manufacturer of the ultra low field MRI and some of the physicians were investors in that company. This alone does not mean that the study is invalid. The study you cite DOES NOT show that the low field MRI is nearly as effective as high field MRI in diagnosing stroke. Most importantly, the patients imaged in the ULF scanner had already been diagnosed with a stroke before imaging a second time with the low field machine. A more rigorous study would use a double-blind process. Secondly, some of the patients were previously imaged using CT, not MRI. This is the very definition of an apples to oranges comparison. The MRI scanner in question has limited resolution compared with virtually every MRI in the USA, even 20-year old scanners. It cannot image very small tumors or bleeds. Finally, the study states that about 80% of the strokes were correctly identified. A more accurate headline would be 'ULF MRI leads to correct diagnosis 80% of the time' or 'ULF MRI Better Than Nothing'. More critically but more accurately, 'ULF MRI is a Poor Alternative if You Have Another Choice'. A more meaningful study would compare low-cost CT scans to the use of this innovative and clever scanner, because they are more readily available and less costly. This study has anecdotal value. Log inor Register to rate and post a comment
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