With the launch of the Ingenia Ambition 1.5T MR scanner with BlueSeal, we made helium-free MR operations the new reality in MR – and contributed to Philips aspiration to improve people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation.
With hundreds of BlueSeal magnets in operation worldwide, our focus is on extending this breakthrough technology to our entire portfolio, supporting uninterrupted MR operations and providing clinicians with high diagnostic quality to make the right decisions in every defining moment.
At Philips, we are committed to making radiology more sustainable. In MR, we have been leading in helium-free operations since 2018. Now we are taking this on the road with the introduction of our BlueSeal Mobile 1.5T* systems portfolio. Delivering patient centric MRI services where and when needed in a more sustainable way with helium-free operations.
*BlueSeal Mobile is not yet CE marked and not yet available for sale outside the USA.
With the BlueSeal magnet, Philips aims to deliver sustainable and more productive MR operations to MR facilities. Our goal? To take away your worries about potential helium-related issues of classic magnet design, to support uninterrupted MR services and to eliminate your dependency on scarce helium supply.
Philips BlueSeal uses a new, highly efficient micro-cooling technology which requires just 7 liters of liquid helium for cooling, instead of the 1,500 litres that conventional magnets use. This tiny amount of liquid helium is placed in the magnet and fully sealed during manufacturing, enclosing the precious gas for the rest of its life. No liquid helium can escape.1 This reduces potential long interruptions to MR services due to helium issues and eliminates helium refill costs during the magnet’s lifetime.
“We won’t have any problems of refilling during the machine’s lifetime and we can forget about the helium. This will save us money and help us be more environmentally friendly” Dr. Marίa del Mar Travieso, Head of Radiology Department, Hospitales San Roque, Spain
Siting with classic magnet On a classic magnet, long vent pipes must be installed to meet safety requirements and direct helium to an outside vent in case of a magnet quench. Because no liquid helium can escape1, the Philips BlueSeal magnet does not need a vent pipe, significantly reducing construction costs of new installations.
Siting with BlueSeal magnet
With a minimum siting requirement of 3,700 kg, the BlueSeal system is around 900 kg lighter than its predecessor.2 This can potentially facilitate easier siting, reduce floor adaptations and further lower construction costs.
See how Dr. Sugaya, President of TSOC, unlocks new siting possibilities in a densely populated area of Tokyo by choosing a BlueSeal system to establish his clinic in the basement of a mixed-use building.
Did you know that 54% of MR facilities had at least one magnetic item become stuck in an MRI system in the last 3 years?4 No matter how careful you are, it can happen and it’s not an easy fix. Philips BlueSeal qualifies as the first magnet driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support a set of unique service functionalities called EasySwitch. If a magnetic item becomes stuck in the bore, EasySwitch gives you the power to discharge and re-energize the magnet from behind your MR console with a single click. This means small incidents can be resolved in just a few hours with minimal disruption to your radiology practice. In addition, with EasySwitch, your BlueSeal magnet can be proactively discharged to prepare for natural disasters or other emergencies
“In the event of a major disaster like an earthquake we can get these machines up and running again relatively quickly making them excellent from the perspective of hospital risk management too.” Prof. Hashimoto, Tokai University Hospital, Japan
We are able to have excellent image quality while also respecting natural resources."
Dr. Stéphane Gellée
Saint-Augustin Clinic in Bordeaux, France
This machine will save us money and help us be more environmentally friendly."
Dr. Marίa del Mar Travieso
Hospitales San Roque, Spain
We’ve been pleasantly surprised, it’s next-generation MR technology."
Dr. Constantino Peña
Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, USA
No helium can escape from the magnet, which represents a nice cost saving."
Dr. Carl-Martin Junge
Altona Children’s Hospital, Hamburg, Germany
Sustainability is an important argument. The helium content is significantly lower than with other MR systems."
Dr. Tobias Schröter
MRT Praxis Potsdam, Germany
The level of details is great. You can see all the pulmonary veins, even second and third level branches"
Dr. Martin Descalzo
MR Coordinator at Imaging Unit of Hospital Sagrat Cor & Hospital Sant Pau, Barcelona
Our patients are very amazed at the pleasant scanning experience MR 5300 can offer. If our patients are happy, we are happy as well.”
Dayan Jackson Dudleythurai
MR Technologist, Aleris-Hamlet Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
Myth #1 It’s impossible for an MR system to run for 24 hours a day on just 7 liters of helium.
Myth #2 Helium is an infinite resource that we can produce ourselves.
Myth #3 An MRI system with helium-free MR technology does not have sufficient power to produce excellent image quality.
Em caso de perda de campo espontânea, a temperatura das bobinas supercondutoras aumenta e a pressão no sistema de refrigeração aumenta para uma pressão média totalmente contida. Esta pressão é quatro vezes mais baixa do que a pressão que foi utilizada quando foi enchido durante o fabrico (à temperatura ambiente). O íman foi totalmente concebido para respeitar esta situação e cumpre as normas ASME e PED relacionadas com recipientes pressurizados.
A norma internacional IEC 60601-2-33 descreve os requisitos específicos para a segurança do equipamento de ressonância nuclear magnética para diagnóstico médico. Uma vez que o íman BlueSeal tem uma quantidade fracionada de hélio contida num sistema de refrigeração fechado, não é possível sair hélio durante uma perda de campo. Como resultado, não se aplicam os seguintes requisitos IEC, o que ajuda a simplificar os procedimentos de segurança no local:
O desempenho resultante do íman está entre os melhores da indústria, com excelente homogeneidade (≤ 0,9 ppm, a 45 cm DSV), linearidade de gradientes elevados (amplitude de 45 mT/m, taxa de variação de 200 T/m/s) e um campo de visão soberbo de 55 cm.
Em caso de emergência do paciente, o sistema desativa-se imediatamente depois de premir o botão da unidade de desativação de emergência (ERDU). Demorará < 3 dias para voltar a funcionar. Caso um objeto esteja preso no tubo do sistema de RM (injetor, ferramenta de limpeza, etc.), demorará aproximadamente 1 hora a desativar o íman do ambiente de serviço na consola do operador, demorará aproximadamente 1 hora a desenergizar o íman do ambiente de serviço na consola do operador e <24 horas para voltar a funcionar5. Em ambos os casos, todo o hélio passa para o estado gasoso e permanece contido no sistema de refrigeração totalmente vedado.
Let’s get in touch and one of our specialists will help you make the switch to more sustainable and productive helium-free MR services.
Helium-free MR operations is a hot topic among MR experts. Find out more about how the BlueSeal technology works and read the latest views from the experts in the field.
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1 Even in the rare case of the magnet becoming unsealed, the negligible amount of helium escaping would not materially affect the oxygen level within the room. 2 Compared to the Ingenia 1.5T ZBO magnet. 3 In isotropic 3D MSK VIEW scans, compared to Philips scans without Compressed SENSE. 4 Marketech June 2017 study (across vendors). 5The amount of liquid-helium saved is a calculation compared to a classic magnet with 1500 liters of helium.
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