Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a mainstream diagnostic tool for many medical professionals, offering a deeper, closer look into the bodies of patients. However, for some patients, a traditional MRI scan is challenging. Find out more about why the investment in open MRI imaging equipment can pay off for you and your patients.
Overweight Patients And Open MRIs
Treating an obese patient can be tough when you need MRI results for accurate diagnostics. Fitting an obese patient into traditional MRI machines can be impossible, making it harder to complete a proper diagnosis of many conditions. An open MRI can easily accommodate large patients, giving you the edge over your competitors that do not have open MRI machines in their facilities. Obese patients can enjoy the same diagnostic benefits as patients that are thinner as well.
For Claustrophobic Patients
You may have had patients that experienced claustrophobic reactions inside a traditional, enclosed MRI machine. For these patients, the use of sedatives may not always be an option due to issues like allergies to medications. When you have to send a patient out to another radiography clinic for being scanned in on their open MRI, you lose money and, more importantly, you lose valuable time in reaching the patient's accurate diagnosis. When you have an open air MRI machine at your facility, you never have to worry about sending any of your patients to another location for having diagnostic imaging done.
Specific Placement Of Body Parts
In some cases, an enclosed MRI image is not accurate for some issues like a specific injury to a patient's leg or arm. In an open air MRI, you can place the patient in the open bore of the machine for focusing on a certain body part. For example, an arm injury would be easier to see in final images if only the patients upper body and arm were scanned. In an enclosed MRI machine, specific placement is sometimes not possible, meaning it will take more time to reach your accurate diagnosis. Specific placement is beneficial for patients that have metal implants as well. If you need an MRI for someone with a metal implant, you can leave the part of the body with the implant out of the machine while the other parts are successfully scanned.
Remaining abreast of the latest types of diagnostic equipment and machines is the best way to provide the highest level of care for your patients. If you are still using a traditional enclosed MRI machine, learning more about an open MRI machine is a good idea for increasing patient volume and increasing profits from diagnostic imaging.