Weiser Memorial receives advanced MRI scanner

 It was Christmas in June for Weiser Memorial Hospital last week.

 The critical care facility received a new MRI scanner that has a wider opening for patients and possesses the latest technology in medical imaging.

 The MRI, and the modular that contains it, rolled in on a flatbed trailer from North Carolina on Monday, June 5.

 “It’s not operational yet, but it’s here,” WMH Radiology Manager Noa Towner said during an interview later that afternoon. Before it can be used, the Siemens Magnetom Free-Max must, in a manner of speaking, be brought back to life.

 “For every day that it’s not on life support, it takes two days to get it resuscitated,” Towner explained. “It’s a big magnet, so in order to get the magnetic force, it takes a lot of ramp-up time. They thought probably five to six days; we will know more when we get the electricity to it.”

 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners create clear images of the inside of your body using a large magnet, radio waves, and a computer. In the case of Weiser Memorial’s new Free-Max, the computer utilizes AI (artificial intelligence) technology, according to MRI Tech Stephen Kovak.

 “It activates the water molecules in your body, so I’m able to use        different sequences to we are able to take our pictures,” he said.

 Unlike CT (computed tomography) scans, commonly referred to as “CAT” scans, an MRI scanner does not utilize radiation. The type of radiation used in a CT scan is referred to as “ionizing” radiation, which is present naturally in the environment around us, but does pose some danger, specifically cancer over time, though only “slightly,” according to cancer.org.

 If you’ve never seen one, a “closed-bore” MRI scanner, similar to a CT scanner, loosely resembles a donut, complete with a hole in the center. Patients lie on a table and are moved inside the hole where the machine does its magic, providing technicians with images of the area of interest. The relatively small 60-centimeter hole, however, can pose a problem for those who have claustrophobia and can feel trapped, consequently leading to various levels of discomfort and even panic for some. 

 There are also open model MRIs, which provide more comfort, but do not produce the same image quality.

 Siemens, a German multi-conglomerate company, has seemingly found an answer to the problem, engineering an 80-centimeter closed-bore scanner that helps to relieve symptoms of claustrophobia and allows access to larger patients who are simply too big to fit inside a 60-centimeter machine.

 “We are going to be able to send people in feet first; anything that is lower extremity,” Novak said.

 He added, “The nice thing about owning our own is that we are able to keep up with upgrades. Going the Sieman’s route, they have yearly updates, and they have great technicians. So, as the area grows and the technology grows, we are going to be able to grow this machine as well.”

 The hospital’s new MRI is the only 80-centimeter scanner in the Pacific Northwest, according to Towner who added that it is the first in the United States to be housed in a custom-built modular. The modular was made to WMH specifications by Lamboo Medical. Headquartered in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands, the company specializes in mobile, hybrid, and relocatable medical accommodations.

 “The panels and walls that the MRI is housed in were built in Sweden and then put on a barge and arrived in North Carolina,” explained Towner who said she attended many Zoom meetings with Lamboo engineers regarding the structure’s design features.

 “The MRI was made in Germany and they’ve partnered with Lamboo to make these modulars for hospitals like us, that just don’t have the room or the capacity or the real estate to build an MRI suite,” she said.

 Lamboo has found a market niche, catering to rural hospitals where, in many cases, it is cost prohibitive to house an MRI inside the building. In Weiser, WMH’s current mobile MRI is contained within a 53-foot trailer and is rented on contract from MRI of Idaho, a Boise-based company.

 “We [rent] it on two-year contracts where the company owns the MRI mobile and we pay them a certain amount every month just to keep it here,” Towner said. 

 The cost for the new MRI is approximately $1 million.

 “The shocker is that we pay more per month for that trailer to sit in our parking lot than we are going to pay for the loan on the [new] MRI. When you rent monthly, it’s kind of like renting an apartment versus buying a house. If you are going to pay the same amount to buy your home, it’s probably better to just buy your home.”

 Additional cost savings involves the use of helium, which is a naturally occurring element and is the only one cold enough to cool an MRI’s magnets. Kovak said the new MRI will use a fraction of the amount used by the original MRI scanner. With older technology, MRIs typically go through 20,000 gallons per year, much of it bleeding out over time.

 “It’s really, really expensive to get the helium,” Kovak said. “With this one, you’re saving money because we use seven gallons.”

 Yet another benefit of the new MRI is that patients will not have to ride a lift located on the side of the current trailer to get inside, which can pose a problem when the weather is inclement, or patients are not physically stable. 

 So far, three other hospitals have called to schedule appointments to look at WMH’s setup, according to Towner.  

 Novak said the machine will serve as a model for both Siemens and Lamboo and that more hospitals will be vying to get time to see it in person.

 “We are the first ones in the entire United States with the actual modular and that particular scanner inside it,” Towner said. “We are hoping that patients from around the Treasure Valley come to use it.”