In a significant step for emergency neurodiagnostics and critical care, AIIMS New Delhi has introduced India’s first portable bedside MRI system, allowing doctors to perform brain imaging directly inside intensive care units without shifting critically ill patients.
The ultra–low-field MRI device, currently in use at the Centre for Neurological Conditions under Dr Shailesh Gaikwad, can be wheeled to a patient’s bedside in ICUs, trauma centres, stroke units, neonatal wards, and neurosurgical care facilities. Doctors say the technology could prove especially valuable in time-sensitive conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and post-operative neurological complications.
Unlike conventional MRI systems, which require shielded rooms, complex infrastructure, and patient transport, the bedside unit is designed to work within existing clinical environments. For unstable patients dependent on ventilators, monitors, or intensive support systems, transporting them to radiology departments can be risky and, in some cases, medically unsafe.
Doctors at AIIMS clarified that the portable MRI is not intended to replace standard high-field MRI machines but to complement them in emergency and critical-care settings.
“It is an ultra–low-field system with lower resolution compared to regular MRI machines. But it serves an important purpose, we can see the brain well enough to make bedside decisions when time is critical,” Dr Shailesh Gaikwad, reportedly, said.
He further emphasised that stable patients would continue to undergo imaging in full-scale MRI suites, while the portable system would primarily benefit critically ill patients for whom movement itself may pose a danger.
“This is meant for critically ill patients in the ICU. If a patient is unstable, there is no need to take them out of that environment, we can bring the MRI to them,” he said.
According to clinicians, the biggest advantage of the technology lies in reducing delays. In neurological emergencies, imaging often determines the next course of treatment, and even small delays can affect outcomes.
Traditional MRI systems require patients to be physically transported to dedicated imaging suites, a process that may involve coordinating ventilators, infusion pumps, monitoring systems, and medical staff. In neonatal ICUs or neurosurgical recovery units, such movement can increase risks and interrupt critical care. Portable MRI systems aim to bridge this gap by bringing imaging directly to the bedside.
Portable bedside MRI systems are already being used in hospitals across the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and several European countries. AIIMS Delhi is now among the first institutions in India to adopt the technology for clinical use.
The system has been introduced following regulatory approval in India and with support from Radiosurgery Global Ltd. Experts say the move could also strengthen research in point-of-care neurodiagnostics and improve access to brain imaging in critical settings.
“Portable MRI has the potential to fundamentally change how neurological emergencies are managed in India, especially in critical care settings where every minute counts. As the technology becomes more accessible and affordable, we could eventually see its use expand beyond major tertiary hospitals to trauma centres, smaller ICUs, and even remote healthcare settings where conventional MRI infrastructure is difficult to establish,” said Dr Sudheer Ambekar, neurosurgeon, Jaslok hospital in Mumbai.
Doctors believe the technology could have applications beyond tertiary hospitals in the future, particularly in emergency medicine, trauma care, and potentially in remote or resource-limited healthcare settings where rapid neurological assessment remains a challenge.
For now, AIIMS clinicians say the focus remains on improving patient safety and enabling faster bedside decision-making in situations where every minute matters.
