Vassar Brothers Medical Center is now the first hospital in the Hudson Valley ”” and one of the first in the country ”” to have a portable MRI system.
The new system is compact, safe and allows for less patient transport time, as it can be brought to the patient and placed at their bedside. It also allows for other people, whether they be care providers or family and loved ones, to be nearby during the imaging process.
The MRI will be used for patients receiving intensive care for neurological conditions such as brain tumors, strokes and traumatic brain injuries.
“The portable MRI system will transform the way we deliver care to neurological patients in the ICU. It will undoubtedly improve patient safety and staff satisfaction,” said Dr. Timothy Collins, chief of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine and ICU medical director at VBMC.
“With this convenient imaging modality, critically ill or injured patients ”” who are usually connected to multiple machines ”” will be able to stay in their ICU room for the study,” he continued. “Saving this trip to radiology affords nurses the ability to stay on the unit without having to arrange for coverage while they are off it. The images will be available to the neuroradiologist faster and the ICU team will then have results in a timelier manner. It is truly a win-win.”
Michael Sternklar, a former patient of Dr. Paul Wright, senior vice president and system chair of the Nuvance Health Neuroscience Institute at Vassar, donated the device.
Sternklar suffered a traumatic brain injury after a fall off of a six-foot ladder at his home in Saratoga, and sought neurological care with Wright after being discharged from a hospital near his home.
“Dr. Wright coached me through a very difficult time ”” both mentally and physically,” Sternklar said. “I could not appreciate more what he did for me and how he did it. We wanted to do something meaningful and donating the portable MRI system was a no-brainer. Care teams will use it to assess medical problems quickly and save lives. If it helps save even one patient, then we will be forever grateful it made a difference.”
