Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center is the first hospital in New Jersey to operate Swoop, a new portable MRI that can be wheeled to the bedside of critically ill patients. Manufactured by Hyperfine Research, Swoop is the world’s first portable MRI and enables clinicians to obtain neurological images of critically ill patients at the point of care quickly and conveniently.
“JFK University Medical Center prides itself on being at the leading edge of defining new standards of care for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke and neurovascular conditions,” says Amie Thornton, chief hospital executive, JFK University Medical Center. “Introducing Swoop portable MRI 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 top stroke and neurovascular centers in the state, we are so very proud to be the first in New Jersey and one of the early adopters in the U.S., to utilize this MRI technology,” adds Siddhart K. Mehta, MD, Stroke and Neurovascular Center, JFK University Medical Center. “Our mission is to provide an outstanding level of comprehensive and specialized inpatient and outpatient care to patients who have neurovascular disease. With this technology, we are furthering our mission to provide a coordinated approach with the use of the most current and effective treatments and technology.”
Unlike traditional MRIs, Swoop was intentionally designed with technology that is usable in intensive care units and other hospital rooms where metal objects are common, making the experience more convenient for patients and providers.
Some of the potential advantages of mobile MRI include:
- Scanning patients in the emergency department, decreasing wait times and speeding diagnosis
- Scanning COVID-19 patients at the bedside, decreasing the risks of transporting infectious patients through the hospital
- Improved monitoring of patients in the neuro intensive care unit as they recover
“We are proud to be working with JFK Neuroscience Institute and its certified comprehensive stroke center at JFK University Medical Center to bring this category-defining technology to the people of New Jersey,” says Khan Siddiqui, MD, chief medical officer of Hyperfine. “The institute’s adoption of Swoop delivers a new diagnostic tool for essential, timely action in complex medical cases such as stroke, and will enable clinicians to enhance the excellent quality of patient care that JFK is known for.”
