Portable Rapid Imaging for Medical Emergencies

The primary objective of this study is to determine whether portable brain MRI reduces the time from scan order to scan start in the emergency department as compared to conventional brain MRI. The secondary objectives of this study are 1) to measure the percentage of scans that are completed after order and the time from order to completion, 2) to compare findings on portable MRI to conventional brain imaging findings, 3) to compare the total length of stay between the portable MRI and conventional MRI groups, and 4) to understand the impact of portable MRI scans on decision making and provider satisfaction based on qualitative surveys administered to a physician endpoint panel. This is a prospective, observational, randomized study. Participants will be recruited from the pool of patients ordered for a brain MRI, with or without contrast and excluding hyperacute MRI, in the emergency department. Participants will be randomized to one of two treatment groups, scan or standard-of-care (SOC). Participants in the scan arm will receive a portable MRI scan as soon as the scanner is available after randomization.

Participants in the SOC arm will not receive a portable MRI scan as part of their initial evaluation. Regardless of randomization arm, all participants will receive their scheduled conventional MRI as usual. Information on each participant's clinical course, conventional imaging, and length of stay will be collected, regardless of treatment group. On a rolling basis, surveys containing deidentified clinical information and portable MRI scans will be administered to a physician panel to assess the impact of portable MRI scans on decision making and provider satisfaction.