
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Battlefield MRI

New low-field MRI technology should be portable enough for provisional combat-support hospitals and hospitals in developing countries
Traditional MRI machines have multiple advantages over other scans for detecting changes in soft tissue, and early intervention for even mild brain injuries has been shown to significantly improve a patient’s long-term prognosis. However, these machines are expensive and their high magnetic fields are not safe for injuries involving metal (think shrapnel), which also rules out unconscious patients for whom a medical history is unknown. Could weaker magnetic fields be used? Actually, yes. In fact, Los Alamos experts in ultra-low field MRI are developing smaller, less expensive systems that may be better suited for the battlefield setting and beyond.
VIEW THIS ARTICLE