Proper healthcare begins with the timely detection of diseases. With modern science and technological advancements helping in every step of disease detection, treating critical diseases like cancer and neurological issues has now become possible. MRI or magnetic resonance imaging plays a crucial role in ensuring the early and accurate detection of such diseases.
Additionally, the progress path of these diseases also becomes traceable with MRI scans. Therefore, the physicians get a better idea of how the disease is advancing and what should be the best course of treatment.
The efficient working of MRI machines depends on several other input elements. Keeping the MRI machines cool during the scanning is also critical for the durability of the machine and optimal functionalities.
Helium is critical for MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). With the growing inadequacy in the supply of helium, the medical care sector is becoming increasingly concerned about this shortage and its unavoidable impact on MRI. News reported by NBC recently unleashed this fact.
Helium and MRI
When the MRI machine functions, it gets heated. Therefore, for uninterrupted imaging, Helium remains critical for keeping the machines cool when they run. Many scanners used in these machines consume around 10000 liters of Helium throughout the machine’s service life.
Therefore, an adequate supply of Helium to keep the machines functioning optimally is essential. However, given the supply limits of nonrenewable resources, many companies have reduced their Helium supply volume making, the MRI operations vulnerable.
Nevertheless, the Helium supply shortage is not a new threat lurking around the corner. It has remained one of the primary concerns for medical care people for quite some time now. But in the recent news encompassing the shortage issue, the concerns seemed to reflect more urgency. Let’s dig deeper to know more about the underlying reasons.
Current Helium Supply Shortage
The reasons engendering such a shortage in Helium supply remain varied. The followings are only a few that might have aggravated the prevalent situations.
Pandemic: There is no doubt that the Covid 19 pandemic that left multiple domains of businesses shaken to their roots has not spared the medical care domain as well. Due to interrupted supplies and cross-border mobility restrictions the existing Helium shortage has only experienced a new bottleneck during the pandemic.
Ukraine War: Siberia has always been one of the major production hubs for Helium. Russia used to supply one-third of the global Helium demand depending on this huge production facility. When the facility burnt due to an accidental fire, Russia’s supply of Helium went down.
Moreover, due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the trading relationship between the USA and Russia degraded, straining the Helium supply chains further.
Owing to both these reasons, the global supply of Helium is passing over a precariously hanging communication bridge that can snap at the mildest tremor.
Helium Supply Decline
Phil Kornbluth is the president of Kornbluth Helium Consulting. Phil shared with NBC news that The USA supplies around 40% of the global Helium requirements. Five companies in the USA primarily handle this supply chain balance.
However, in recent times, four out of these five enterprises have curtailed their volume of Helium supply considerably. Helium vendors are now turning to alternative strategies like giving priority to industries with critical needs such as medical care. Earlier, in the case of iodinated contrast shortages, the vendors followed the same strategy.
The Impact
Even though the trend of cutting down on Helium supply has yet not resulted in imaging exam cancelations, it surely has impacted the progress of medical research works adversely. Even Harvard University researchers had to halt their ongoing works due to the shortage of Helium supply.
Davis also shared the fact that besides Harvard, the University of California also had to cancel a few of their research works related to healthcare due to the same problem. One of the suppliers of Helium reduced the supply by 50% without considering the purpose for which researchers used it.
New Initiatives
Therefore, even MRI manufacturers are showing grave concerns about the Helium shortage problem. Enterprises like Siemens Healthineers and GE Healthcare have already begun the process of manufacturing equipment that will consume less Helium.
However, such Helium efficient machines are not available worldwide at the moment. In short, Helium shortage is an acute problem that is likely to impact the diagnostic domain of healthcare gravely in the coming years. Helium-efficient machines that would require less Helium and perform optimally can be the future of healthcare if the supply chain stability does not return.
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