Hyperfine has shared new data demonstrating time-saving advantages for its portable brain MRI system’s integration into emergency department workflows versus conventional MRI.
Hyperfine’s Swoop Portable MRI system only weighs around 1,400 lbs and has wheels for easy movement across various healthcare settings. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared in 2020, Swoop is used via a tablet with guidance steps, negating the need for trained MRI personnel to operate the system.
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In the 100-patient PRIME study (NCT06930534), conducted at Yale School of Medicine, patients were randomised to receive MRI evaluation with Swoop or conventional MRI in the study’s control arm. The trial’s data revealed a median time from imaging order to scan start of 1.28 hours in the portable MRI group, versus 7.76 hours in the control arm – indicative of a median difference of 6.35 hours.
Hyperfine shared the findings at the 2026 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) conference, which took place between 18 and 21 May in Atlanta, Georgia.
Swoop is not designed to replace conventional MRI systems; instead offering an alternative imaging platform for brain-related emergencies when fixed machines are not accessible. However, the data highlights the benefit that Hyperfine’s brain MRI device can provide to emergency departments.
Dr Kevin Sheth, professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine and principal investigator for the PRIME study, said: “Portable MRI has the potential to meaningfully reduce emergency department boarding by helping to alleviate delays associated with waiting for access to conventional MRI.
“Reducing imaging-related bottlenecks may help emergency department teams move patients through care pathways more efficiently while maintaining access to advanced neuroimaging.”
The data readout from Hyperfine’s PRIME study follows the company’s receipt of a $40m loan facility from Horizon Technology in March 2026. At the time, Hyperfine stated that it would use the financing mechanism to expand Swoop’s reach throughout healthcare and office settings in the US and globally.
Commenting on the data shared at SAEM, Hyperfine CEO Maria Sainz said: “We believe these results reinforce the potential for portable MRI to help clinicians access actionable imaging information sooner, improve emergency department workflows for ruling in and ruling out pathology, and expand access to advanced brain imaging where conventional MRI remains difficult to obtain.”
