Royal Philips, ‘a global leader in health technology’, has showcased what is said to be the first mobile virtually helium-free MRI system at the UK Imaging and Oncology (UKIO) Congress 2024 in Liverpool, marking what it says is ‘a significant step as an innovator to improving patient access to diagnostic technology whilst caring for the environment’.
The Philips system, housed in a mobile truck provided by Lamboo Medical, shown in the UK for the first time (the combination of Philips’ BlueSeal technology within a mobile truck is awaiting CE marking in the UK), comprises a Philips MR 5300 scanner equipped with a ‘revolutionary’ Philips BlueSeal magnet, ‘the global industry’s first 1.5T fully sealed magnet’ – which requires just 0.5% of the helium of a conventional Philips MR system. Philips says this significantly reduces consumption of helium, which globally is in scarce supply. More than 1.9 million litres of helium have been saved by MR systems equipped with Philips’ BlueSeal magnet technology since 2018.
Philips said: “Equipping a mobile truck with an MR 5300 scanner and BlueSeal magnet offers healthcare providers the potential to achieve greater efficiencies when undertaking patient scans by making them more easily available for patients in the community, rather than at hospital sites, improving clinical workflow, and reducing health costs in the face of staff shortages.
At the UKIO congress, Mark Leftwich, MD at Philips UK and Ireland, said: “Sustainable healthcare means the world to us, and Philips is proud to be continuing to lead in sustainable healthcare with the unveiling in the UK our mobile BlueSeal magnet technology. In the UK, the health service contributes around 4-5% of total UK carbon emissions, and in Ireland an estimated 4.4% of national greenhouse gas emissions. Our virtually helium-free technology supports our health workforce to care for their patients, bringing diagnostic capabilities closer to home, while reducing hospitals’ dependency on natural resources and energy consumption.”
Currently there are almost 100 NHS and healthcare provider sites in the UK with a Philips BlueSeal 1.5T magnet, out of over 1,100 sites worldwide. Introduced in 2018, Philips says the technology is expanding the reach globally of MRI to ‘places where it was previously too difficult to install and maintain, including remote and isolated locations’. Its magnet is 900 kg lighter than a traditional system, and doesn’t require a quench pipe – needed for traditional MR systems to safely expel large volumes of helium out of a building quickly in case of an emergency.
Joost Lamboo, CEO at Lamboo Medical, added: “Enabling sustainable healthcare is critical for the future, and so it’s with pride that Lamboo Medical is a partner today in promoting the new mobile BlueSeal system from Philips.”
