Low-Field Bedside MRI for Detection of Acute Brain Injury in Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is frequently used to treat refractory cardiovascular and/or respiratory failure. As the support modality has evolved, survival has significantly improved, yet there are high rates of acute brain injury (ABI) in this population due to disease, patient, and treatment factors. This results in significant morbidity and mortality. Specifically, thromboembolic, hypoxic-ischemic, and hemorrhagic complications occur during ECMO support, but the investigators are limited in the monitoring and diagnosis of ABI while on ECMO as currently available imaging modalities (i.e. ultrasound [US], computed tomography [CT]) have low sensitivity for early hypoxic, cerebrovascular, and ischemic brain injuries. The sensitivity of these modalities increases only when it is too late to effectively intervene. Standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard to diagnose stroke and ischemic brain injury but is incompatible with ECMO devices. Swoop (Hyperfine, Guilford, CT) is an FDA cleared ultralow-field portable MRI system that can be used at the bedside and has been studied in critically ill adults with various types of ABI. This novel bedside MRI has been safely operated in clinical environments with equipment that is typically not MRI compatible. A few adult and pediatric ECMO patients have undergone bedside brain MRIs showing feasibility. Yet, what remains unknown is the true prevalence and timing of hypoxic, cerebrovascular, and ischemic brain injuries in pediatric ECMO.