AIIMS Delhi Can Now Scan Your Brain Without Moving You From the ICU Bed

Add as a preferred source on Google

"Bedside brain imaging transforms how we care for our most critically ill patients."

That is not a future aspiration. At AIIMS New Delhi, it is already happening.

India's foremost medical institution has become the first hospital in the country to deploy a portable MRI system for routine bedside brain imaging, a development that clinicians and health technology experts are calling a turning point for neurological emergency care. The machine in question is the Hyperfine Swoop system, a US-developed, AI-powered ultra-low-field MRI that can be wheeled directly to a patient's bedside, plugged into a standard wall socket, and produce diagnostic-quality brain images in minutes.

No dedicated MRI suite. No patient transfer. No waiting.

Photo Credit: Google

The Problem It Is Solving

To understand why this matters, consider what normally happens when a critically ill patient in an ICU needs a brain scan.

Conventional high-field MRI systems require dedicated shielded rooms, specialised infrastructure, and patient transport. For critically ill patients in ICUs, trauma bays, neurosurgery wards, neonatal units, and emergency departments, transport is often not feasible. In acute neurological conditions, a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, a post-operative complication, that delay is not merely inconvenient. It can be the difference between recovery and permanent disability.

India is home to over a billion people across diverse geographies, including urban megacities, remote districts, rural communities, and everything in between. Across this landscape, timely access to neuroimaging remains a significant challenge. When patients suffer a stroke, sustain a brain injury, or present with a neurological emergency, the imaging required for diagnosis and treatment is often delayed or unavailable.

The neurological burden the country carries is considerable. The increasing contribution of non-communicable and injury-related neurological disorders to India's overall disease burden highlights the need for state-specific health system responses to address the gaps in neurology services related to awareness, early identification, treatment, and rehabilitation, according to findings published in The Lancet Global Health.

What the Swoop System Does Differently

The Swoop system is an AI-powered, portable brain MRI that uses a magnet with a fraction of the field strength used in conventional MRI. This means it can be brought to the point of care and used safely in almost any care setting without the need for dedicated staff or infrastructure. Simply plug the Swoop system into an outlet, and it is ready to use in minutes.

The engineering behind this is worth pausing on. The Swoop system plugs into a regular wall outlet and is ready to scan in less than two minutes. Astonishingly efficient, the system uses just 900 watts, about the same power as a coffee maker. The magnet operates at 64 millitesla (mT), a fraction of the 1.5 or 3 Tesla strength of hospital-grade scanners, and uses deep learning algorithms to compensate for lower field strength with improved image clarity.

By combining safe, ultra-low-field magnetic resonance, which does not have the siting and shielding requirements of conventional MRI systems, with artificial intelligence, the Swoop system potentially enables timelier treatment decisions, quicker discharges, and more efficient use of hospital staff and resources. Patients can remain in a safe and comfortable setting, with family and caregivers by their side, which reduces the risk of adverse events due to transport.

'The Barrier Has Been Eliminated'

At AIIMS New Delhi, the system is being used under the leadership of Dr Shailesh Gaikwad at the Centre for Neurological Conditions. Dr Gaikwad, who holds the position of Professor and Head of the Department of Neuroimaging and Interventional Neuroradiology and Chief of the Neuroscience Centre, has been associated with MRI services at AIIMS since 1993, having set up the institution's MRI programme more than three decades ago.

"Bedside brain imaging transforms how we care for our most critically ill patients. At AIIMS, we manage thousands of stroke and ICU patients annually, where rapid neuroimaging is essential, yet transport to conventional MRI is often unsafe or impossible. The Swoop system eliminates that barrier. Now our clinicians can obtain diagnostic images at the point of care, enabling faster decision-making in neurology, trauma, and critical care," said Dr Gaikwad.

He added that the significance extends beyond individual patients. "For a medical institution like ours that serves as a referral centre across India, this deployment signals what's possible when technology and clinical need align to advance neurological care."

Where It Will Be Used

The Swoop system supports a wide range of unmet clinical needs across India's healthcare ecosystem. In neurology and stroke, it enables rapid bedside brain imaging to support timely assessment and decision-making in acute stroke care without the risks associated with patient transfer. In emergency care and trauma, it allows timely bedside assessment of traumatic brain injury in clinical settings where speed of diagnosis is critical.

For critical care and ICU patients, it enables ongoing neurological monitoring without disrupting intensive care workflows. In paediatric care, it provides safe, accessible brain imaging for infants in PICUs, where conventional MRI is often inaccessible or clinically impractical. Post-operatively, it supports neurosurgical monitoring without moving vulnerable patients.

The system also opens a channel that has long been difficult to unlock in India: community-level neuroimaging. It has potential use in outpatient and community settings, supporting early screening and referral pathways.

A Partnership Bringing It to India

The deployment follows regulatory clearance in India and has been facilitated through a partnership with Radiosurgery Global, the exclusive distributor of the technology in the country.

Maria Sainz, President and CEO of Hyperfine, described the AIIMS deployment as the starting point of a larger national rollout. "India has a significant unmet need for accessible brain imaging. Deployment at the country's leading institution signals the start of bringing point-of-care brain MRI to sites of care and institutions across India, where it can serve clinicians and their patients across neurological conditions," she said.

The Swoop system received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for MRI of the brain and head of patients of all ages, including patients from birth to two years, in August 2020. The system's Optive AI software, which uses deep learning to enhance image quality at ultra-low field strengths, secured CE marking and UK Conformity Assessed approval in September 2025.

What It Means for Indian Neurology

Beyond patient care, the installation at AIIMS carries research implications. The Swoop system deployment at AIIMS New Delhi also establishes a foundation for clinical research at a leading centre for neuroscience research. As institutions across India look to expand access to specialist neurological services, particularly in regions where infrastructure constraints have long been a barrier, the AIIMS deployment offers a proof-of-concept that is hard to dismiss.

India has faced a huge gap in the availability of neurologists, regional imbalances, and a skewed ratio towards metro cities, creating a need to incorporate neurological care within the ambit of primary care. A technology that can function in diverse settings, without shielded rooms, without specialised power supply, without moving the patient, does not just improve care in a single ICU. It reframes what is possible in a district hospital, a community health centre, or a mobile medical unit.

Bottomline

A machine that weighs considerably less than a conventional scanner, draws as much power as a kitchen appliance, and delivers diagnostic brain imaging at a patient's bedside is not science fiction. It is running today, at AIIMS New Delhi, on a floor where the sickest neurological patients in the country are treated. Whether this marks the start of a broader national adoption in trauma centres, district hospitals, and eventually rural facilities will depend on scale, cost, and policy. But the first step has been taken. In India's long-overdue reckoning with neuroimaging access, that is not a small thing.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.