GUILFORD, Conn. and MOOSE FACTORY, Ontario, Feb. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hyperfine, Inc. (Nasdaq:HYPR), creator of Swoop®, the first FDA-cleared portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system™, is proud to announce that Queen's University and Kingston Health Sciences Centre are deploying a Swoop system as part of their health services benefitting six communities located in the James Bay and Hudson Bay Area. Until now, patients needing routine or emergent care required transportation by medical charter flight hundreds of miles away to either Timmins or Kingston, ON. Queen’s University intends to utilize Swoop as part of a study to build evidence regarding the utility and affordability of a portable point of care (POC) MRI in a remote setting.

Queen’s University is situated on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee territory and provides medical services to a predominantly Indigenous population in the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) in Northern Ontario. Members of remote communities such as these have been limited by proximity to medical centers and at the mercy of dangerous weather conditions putting undue constraints on the individual, especially those who are critically ill or unstable.

“Until recently, the technology for portable point of care imaging has not existed—resulting in inequitable access to healthcare and putting people at great risk simply due to their geographical limitations,” said Khan Siddiqui, M.D., chief medical officer and chief strategy officer of Hyperfine. “Swoop® was designed to enable rapid diagnoses and treatment for every patient regardless of income, resources, or location, pushing the boundaries of conventional imaging technology and expanding patient access to life-saving care.”
Instead of transporting the patient to the MRI, Swoop can be delivered directly to the patient, eliminating long wait times and other difficulties with transporting patients. The Swoop system also has a lower field strength than a traditional MRI which greatly shortens the screening protocol for patients, allowing clinicians to quickly scan, diagnose and treat patients within crowded healthcare environments like emergency rooms (ERs), operating rooms (ORs), and intensive care units (ICUs).

Swoop results are displayed on a tablet and deliver crisp, clear T1, T2, FLAIR, and DWI (with ADC map) tissue contrasts within minutes before uploading the scans to local PACS (Picture Archive and Communications System). The image quality resulting from this innovative approach elevates the diagnostic value of portable MRI and enables Swoop to deliver crisp, clear images within minutes.

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