The 'Hoop Loop' device increases anesthesia and positioning safety in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner.

摘要

The increasing number of overweight and obese patients places ever greater demands on the health care industry to accommodate larger patients. Heavy patients who need magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies may be accommodated in open MRI scanners, but these scanners are equipped with low-field magnets and have limited diagnostic capabilities. The resulting image often is of limited clinical utility and patients are then referred for a study in a closed MRI scanner. Large, claustrophobic, difficult, or uncooperative patients, such as the mentally challenged, the autistic, and those patients who are unable to lie supine in a pain-free state, may be a greater challenge for the anesthesiologist in the MRI.