Injection And Infusion Technology Disruption For Use In MRI

INTRODUCTION: Contrast media injections, infusions, or experiments that require a constant volume flow close to or within a very high magnetic field like in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) require a liquid reservoir and a power unit to deliver the fluid. However, most power units are driven by motors that are either not MRI-compatible or require external connections that restrict mobility and usage. In this paper, the development of a highly portable, lightweight, and MRI-compatible pump system is explained. METHODS: The energy required to deliver the flow is generated using a pressurized bottle concept. The valve inside the bottle is opened to create a flow which should be maintained constant. In order to find the optimal flow resistance for a constant flow rate, we created multiple setups with different flow resistance. RESULTS: We measured the flow rates for different flow resistances by attaching a restring valve to the bottle. The results clearly show that high flow resistance results in lower and more constant flow rate. DISCUSSION: The optimal flow rate achieved using our current setup was significantly constant but not ideal. Consequently, such a pump system can be used in many medical applications like MRI-compatible contrast agent injectors.