Hyperfine announced the enrollment of the first patients in its PRIME (Portable Rapid Imaging for Medical Emergencies) study. The study will assess the potential of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered MRI technology to transform triage in the emergency department setting.

The study at Yale School of Medicine builds on the ACTION PMR study, which showed the utility of AI-powered portable MRI to diagnose and manage stroke patients in emergency department settings. The PRIME study will include a broad, diverse set of patients presenting in an emergency department and evaluate the tech’s potential effectiveness and efficiency as a triage tool for a range of brain-related emergency medical conditions.

The study is being conducted using the recently released next-gen Swoop system powered by Optive AI software. PRIME will be one of the first studies using the software’s advanced image quality that offers sharper anatomical detail, potentially enabling better pathology detection.

Hyperfine’s portable MRI tech provides high-quality brain imaging at the bedside for critically ill adult and pediatric patients. By removing the typical barriers of access to conventional MRI scanners—wait times, technologist shortage, and immobility—portable MR imaging can enable faster, more efficient decision-making in the emergency department.

The PRIME study will enroll patients in a Level 1 emergency department, evaluating a wide variety of emergency medical conditions.

“By evaluating the potential of portable MRI in this real-world setting, this study aims to determine if a portable MRI system can provide diagnostic imaging capabilities that can be quickly integrated into the ED workflow to improve patient care decisions in real time,” said Dr. Kevin Sheth, Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine and principal investigator for the PRIME study.

Earlier this month, Hyperfine welcomed two new executives to its C-Suite.

“Hyperfine is thrilled to collaborate with Yale on this transformative project. The Yale team has worked with portable brain MRI since the technology’s early days,” said Maria Sainz, President and CEO of Hyperfine. “Through the PRIME study, they demonstrate a bold vision for how portable MRI can accelerate triage in emergency care. The next-generation Swoop system, powered by Optive AI software, provides more clinically valuable image quality that we expect will drive greater adoption in the emergency setting and help address the widespread clinical and economic challenges of ED boarding.”