Philips, a global leader in health technology, has showcased the first mobile virtually helium-free MRI system, marking a significant step as innovator to improving patient access to diagnostic technology whilst caring for the environment. 

The Philips system, housed in a mobile truck provided by Lamboo Medical, showcased in the UK for the first time (*the combination of Philips’ BlueSeal technology within a mobile truck is awaiting CE marking in the UK), comprises a Philips MR 5300 scanner equipped with a revolutionary Philips BlueSeal magnet, the global industry’s first 1.5T fully sealed magnet, which requires only 0.5% of the helium of a conventional Philips MR system. This significantly reduces consumption of helium, which globally is in scarce supply. More than 1.9 million litres of helium have been saved by MR systems equipped with Philips’ BlueSeal magnet technology since 2018. 

Equipping a mobile truck with an MR 5300 scanner and BlueSeal magnet offers healthcare providers the potential to achieve greater efficiencies when undertaking patient scans by making them more easily available for patients in the community rather than at hospital sites, improving clinical workflow and reducing health costs in the face of staff shortages. 

Showcasing the mobile virtually helium-free MRI system at this year’s UK Imaging & Oncology (UKIO) congress, Mark Leftwich, Managing Director at Philips UK and Ireland, said: “Sustainable healthcare means the world to us, and Philips are proud to be continuing to lead in sustainable healthcare with the unveiling in the UK our mobile BlueSeal magnet technology. In the UK, the health service contributes around 4-5% of total UK carbon emissions   and in Ireland an estimated 4.4% of national greenhouse gas emissions.

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“Our virtually helium-free technology supports our health workforce to care for their patients, bringing diagnostic capabilities closer to home whilst reducing hospitals’ dependency on natural resources and energy consumption.”

Currently there are almost 100 NHS and healthcare provider sites in the UK with a Philips BlueSeal 1.5T magnet, out of more than 1,100 sites worldwide. Introduced in 2018, Philips’ BlueSeal technology is expanding the reach globally of MRI to places where it was previously too difficult to install and maintain, including remote and isolated locations. 

Its magnet is 900kg lighter than a traditional system  and doesn’t require a quench pipe – needed for traditional MR systems to safely expel large volumes of helium out of a building quickly in case of an emergency.

Ruud Zwerink, MR Business Leader at Philips UK and Ireland, said: “Mobilising our BlueSeal technology is a significant development for imaging in the UK that will pave the way for best in class diagnosis, assessment and treatment, while supporting our health providers to lower their running costs, due to the lighter weight of the system and reduced helium, and progress on net zero goals”. 

Joost Lamboo, CEO at Lamboo Medical, added: “Enabling sustainable healthcare is critical for the future and so it’s with pride that Lamboo Medical is a partner today in promoting the new mobile BlueSeal system from Philips.”