Patients at Iqaluit’s hospital can now get MRI head scans

Updated on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 8 a.m.

Health-care workers at Iqaluit’s hospital recently made history when they conducted the first MRI head scan in Nunavut.

The Department of Health acquired a portable magnetic resonance imaging machine, or MRI, earlier this month and used it for the first time on May 15.

Qikiqtani General Hospital’s computed tomography, or CT, scanner is in the process of being replaced, which is expected to take about six weeks.

Instead of sending patients who need internal scans to Ottawa, where the closest CT scanner is located, the hospital opted to bring in an MRI machine.

“When we looked at data and statistics, we realized that we do between 80 and 120 emergency head CTs a month,” said Dr. Francois de Wet, Nunavut’s territorial chief of staff.

The MRI machine has multiple advantages over the CT scanner, including mobility, reliability and updated technology that allows it to be operated from an iPad, de Wet said.

As well, the MRI machine can easily be brought anywhere in the hospital, rather than having to bring patients to it.

The portable machine is smaller than a traditional MRI machine. That limits its scanning ability to the head, but also makes it more comfortable.

“It’s open, so mom can be there with the baby and touch the baby,” said de Wet. “The anxiety associated with these machines is significantly less now.”

The smaller MRI machine uses the equivalent of the magnetism of a fridge magnet, meaning staff do not have to clear out all of the metal in a room, which is typical of a traditional MRI machine.

“It’s a better alternative to use on patients when you have to scan repeatedly, because there’s no radiation with an MRI versus a fair bit of radiation with a CT scanner,” said de Wet.

“It’s safer for developing brains, for example babies’ or pregnant moms’.”

The cost of the $640,000 scanner will pay for itself after 15 scans that avoided a medevac to Ottawa, de Wet calculated, taking into the account the amount of money it costs to fly patients down to Ottawa.

Correction: This article has been updated from a previous version to clarify the cost benefit of having an MRI scanner in Iqaluit.