MRI-INCUBATOR'S CLOSURE ASSEMBLY

• US 20150141799A1
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aspect Imaging Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Aspect Imaging Ltd.
• Inventors: RAPOPORT, Uri, RABINOVITZ, Itzchak
• Granted Patent: US 10,426,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/410
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/045 Newborns, e.g. premature baby monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0036 including treatment, e.g., using an implantable medical device, ablating, ventilating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/005 with movable walls, e.g. for accessing the inside, removable walls
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/28 Details of apparatus provided for in groups G01R33/44 - G01R33/64
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/422 of the radio frequency field
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49771 Quantitative measuring or gauging

Abstract

An incubator'"'"'s closure assembly adapted to shut the aperture of a magnetic resonance imaging device (MRD) having an open bore extended along the MRD'"'"'s longitudinal axis with a distal end and proximal end, the bore is terminated by the aperture located in the proximal end, into which a neonate'"'"'s incubator is inserted, thereby shutting the MRD bore aperture. The closure assembly comprising at least one U-shaped conduit having (i) an array of distal and proximal sealing walls, both are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and having upwards and downwards directions, and (ii) a recess in between the walls having length, in upwards to downwards direction, and width, in distal to proximal direction, each of the proximal wall and the distal wall comprising a cutout at opposite directions, and wherein in the recess, the ratio of length to width is greater than a predefined value n.

Claims

1. In a magnetic resonance imaging device (MRD) having an open bore extended along said MRD'"'"'s longitudinal axis with a distal end and proximal end, said bore is terminated by an aperture located in said proximal end, into which a neonate'"'"'s incubator is inserted, an incubator'"'"'s closure assembly adapted to hermetically shut said aperture when said incubator is accommodated within said open bore, said closure assembly comprising at least one U-shaped conduit having (i) an array of distal and proximal sealing walls, both are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and having upwards and downwards directions, and (ii) a recess in between said walls having length, having upwards to downwards direction, and width having distal to proximal direction, each of said proximal wall and said distal wall comprising a cutout at opposite directions, and wherein in said recess, the ratio of length to width is greater than a predefined value n.

2. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit is connected in a non protruding manner to an incubator'"'"'s closure assembly, thereby, no direct access is provided between said MRD bore and the external environment.

3. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit cutouts are adapted by means of size and shape to permit passage of medical equipment within, from the inner space of said MRD bore to the external environment.

4. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit wall along the longitudinal axis is of a shape selected from a group consisting of:

straight, curved, polygonal, symmetrical, non symmetrical and any combination thereof.

5. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit open face is adapted by size and shape to enable removal of at least a portion of medical equipment passing within said conduit, without detaching it from any of said equipment ends.

6. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said conduit cutouts comprising a curved profile edge.

7. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 6, wherein at least a portion of said conduit walls edge profiles are of a smoothed finish.

8. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said conduit is perforated;

further wherein said perforations are of a length and diameter configured as a waveguide RF attenuator, thereby allowing for RF shielding together with light and air penetration into said MRD.

9. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit is constructed as a reversibly detachable module.

10. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit is connected to said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly at a location comprising at least a portion of the border between said closure assembly and said aperture in said MRD bore proximal end.

11. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 10, wherein said conduit location enables removal of at least a portion of medical equipment passing within said conduit when said assembly is refracted from said MRD bore, without detaching said equipment from any of said equipment ends.

12. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit further comprises an RF filter, configured to permit electrical wiring to pass into said MRD bore from the external environment.

13. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said conduit comprising shielding selected from a group consisting of:

magnetic shielding, RF shielding, physical shielding and any combination thereof.

14. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit further comprising at least a portion of transparent material.

15. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said conduit is configured by means of size, shape and material to attenuate the passage of radio frequencies at a range of the values of X to Y MHz;

further wherein the values of X and Y are selected from a group consisting of;

X>

0 MHz and Y<

1000 MHz, X>

0 MHz and Y<

500 MHz, X>

0 MHz and Y<

200 MHz and any combination thereof.

16. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said walls is maneuverably connected to said longitudinal wall remaining in a fixed position.

17. The incubator'"'"'s closure assembly according to claim 1, wherein said assembly is adapted by means of size and shape to be connected to an MRI-compatible cart in connection with an MRI-compatible neonate'"'"'s cradle.

18. A method for RF shielding an MRD from its external environment generated EMI, and RF shielding said external environment from said MRD generated EMI, by providing an RF shielding conduit, said method comprising steps of:

a. obtaining an MRD, and an incubator connected to an incubator'"'"'s closure assembly comprising at least one U-shaped RF shielding conduit, said conduit having (i) an array of distal and proximal sealing walls, both are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and having upwards and downwards directions, and (ii) a recess in between said walls having length (upwards to downwards direction) and width (distal to proximal direction), each of said proximal wall and said distal wall comprising a cutout at opposite directions, and in said recess, the ratio of length to width is greater than a predefined value n;

b. inserting said incubator containing patient into said MRD bore, thereby shutting MRD bore with incubator closure assembly;

c. imaging patient;

d. opening said MRI bore by extracting said incubator; and

e. extracting patient,

wherein said conduit is connected in a non protruding manner to an incubator'"'"'s closure assembly, thereby, no direct access is provided between the MRD bore and the external environment.

19. A method for manufacturing an incubator'"'"'s closure assembly comprising a U-shaped conduit having (i) an array of distal and proximal sealing walls, both are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and having upwards and downwards directions, and (ii) a recess in between said walls having length (upwards to downwards direction) and width (distal to proximal direction), comprising the steps of:

a. obtaining an incubator closure assembly;

b. defining dimensions of a U-shaped conduit to fit passage of medical equipment within;

c. defining said recess, so that the ratio of length to width is than a predefined value n;

d. forming said conduit;

e. forming cutouts at opposite directions in said distal and proximal walls of said conduit; and

f. connecting said conduit to incubator'"'"'s closure assembly so the open longitudinal face is open towards the external environment,

wherein said conduit is connected in a non protruding manner to an incubator'"'"'s closure assembly, thereby, no direct access is provided between the MRD bore and the external environment.

20. A standard of care protocol for magnetic resonance imaging a patient placed within an incubator, connected to medical equipment, whilst not leaking RF into the MRD and from the MRD, further enabling a one step insertion or exertion of patient from MRD without detaching connected medical equipment,

characterized by providing an incubator'"'"'s closure assembly adapted to hermetically shut a magnetic resonance imaging device (MRD) having an open bore extended along said MRD'"'"'s longitudinal axis with a distal end and proximal end, said bore is terminated by an aperture located in said proximal end, into which a neonate'"'"'s incubator is inserted, when said incubator is accommodated within said open bore, said closure assembly comprising a U-shaped conduit having (i) an array of distal and proximal sealing walls, both are substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and having upwards and downwards directions, and (ii) a recess in between said walls having length (upwards to downwards direction) and width (distal to proximal direction), each of said proximal wall and said distal wall comprising a cutout at opposite directions, and in said recess, the ratio of length to width is greater than a predefined value n,

wherein at least one of the following is held true:

a. the average number of patient'"'"'s health complications due to multi-step extraction of patients from MRD in an emergency is z times higher than when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly, z is equal or greater than 1.05;

b. the average number of MRD associated patient'"'"'s health complications due to detaching and attaching medical equipment to the patient is i times higher than when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly i is equal or greater than 1.05;

c. the average number of insurable claims of a selected from a group consisting of;

manufacturer, handler, user, operator, medical care personal, medical facility, medical facility management or any combination thereof when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly is m times lower than patient MRI associated insurable claims;

m is equal or greater than 1.05;

d. the average number of repeated MRI due to EMI created artifacts when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly is p times lower than the average number of repeated MRI;

p is equal or greater than 1.05;

e. the average number of reported incidents of EMI interfering with medical equipment during MRI when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly is s times lower than the average number of reported incidents of EMI interfering with medical equipment during MRI;

s is equal or greater than 1.05;

f. the average stress levels of patients measured by the average levels of said patient salival cortisol during MRI when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly is t times lower than the average stress levels of patients during MRI;

t is equal or greater than 1.05;

g. the average number of patient'"'"'s health complications due to artifacts in MRD images caused by EMI is r times higher than when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly;

r is equal or greater than 1.05;

h. the average number of patient'"'"'s health complications due EMI interfering with medical equipment is u times higher than when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly;

u is equal or greater than 1.05; and

i. the average number of EMI incidents of interfering with imaging equipment is w times higher than when utilizing said incubator'"'"'s closure assembly;

w is equal or greater than 1.05.