How the Global Helium Shortage Will Impact Medical Imaging

In medical imaging — specifically magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — helium is referred to as liquid gold because of its cooling properties. According to an article by Siemens Healthineers, helium plays a critical role in cooling the magnetic coils in MRI machines to function correctly. Despite the necessity of helium, it is a rare element and a non-renewable natural resource. That said, the global helium shortage has left many healthcare professionals anxious about the future of medical imaging.

LBN Medical states, “liquid helium is the perfect element — cold enough to provide the levels of superconductivity required in MRI scanners. It cools down the superconducting magnets, which generate images of the human body, to a temperature below 4,15 Kelvin (–269°C).”

Although the amount of liquid helium required for MRI machines varies depending on the brand and the model, an NBC article estimates that the average MRI machine requires 2,000 liters of helium. If any helium boils off, it must be replenished. An MRI machine uses 10,000 liters of helium over its average lifespan of 12.8 years.

After understanding the limited availability of helium and the necessary uses for MRI machines, many suppliers and healthcare professionals are nervously rationing resources. In an article published in NBC News, Phil Kornbluth, President of Kornbluth Helium Consulting, shared that approximately 80% of helium suppliers are rationing it. While these companies have prioritized the healthcare industry for supplies, this has done little to ease the concerns of industry members.

With the current and historically available MRI machines, there is no way to minimize helium use in healthcare without limiting the number of MRIs done. As a result, companies such as GE and Siemens are working to develop MRIs that will reduce reliance on helium.

Beyond the projected impacts on patient care, the shortage has already impacted research. “As doctors dread possible worst-case scenarios, scientists who use liquid helium for research are already there. When suppliers began rationing this summer, Harvard University physicists Amir Yacoby and Philip Kim shut down around half of their labs’ projects. On the opposite side of the country, the University of California, Davis reported that one of its helium suppliers cut allocations by half, including for medical use,” reported NBC News.

As the shortage and solutions continue progressing, providers and researchers await new solutions to this unavoidable supply chain issue.