The world’s ongoing helium shortage made a lot of headlines after Party City announced it was closing down 45 stores by the end of 2019. What kind of impact could the deflating availability of this important element have on imaging providers?
A report from USA Today examined how the helium shortage could affect various industries.
“The shortage of helium which is present now—and which we can anticipate will increase—will affect, broadly, everybody,” William Halperin, a physics professor at Northwestern, said in the report.
Liquid helium, of course, is used to keep MRI scanners cool at all times. Sophia Hayes, a chemistry professor form Washington University who was also interviewed by USA Today, said hospitals should be prepared for this shortage and it should not lead to any significant delays. Not a lot of helium is used by these scanners, she explained, and it’s something that everyone has known about for quite some time.
Halperin, however, suggested that smaller hospitals are “more vulnerable” to suffering a potential problem down the road.
To read the full story from USA Today, click the below link.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.