New MRI simulator at IWK could change the way kids feel about the 'scary' test

The IWK Health Centre in Halifax says it's thrilled after a team of Dalhousie engineering students built a piece of equipment that's been on the hospital's wish list for more than a decade.

Four students built a fake MRI machine and donated it to the hospital. While it can't do diagnostic tests, the doctors say it will be a big benefit for their young patients.

"It's a beautiful example of a collaborative effort between Nova Scotian institutions to help each other and basically help Nova Scotians," said Dr. Naeem Khan, the head of diagnostic imaging at the children's hospital.

Over the years, his team has witnessed countless children panic as they attempt to lay still for at least 30 minutes for an MRI.

"There is a big giant machine and a huge tunnel in which you're going to go in, and there are loud noises," he said. "When you look at this kind of environment, it's very scary. It produces a lot of anxiety and it's a huge psychological burden for the kids."

Khan's department now does more than three times the number of MRIs compared to just 15 years ago — about 7,000 each year.

He said that's because they don't use radiation, making it much safer for the child. Doctors can also get an in-depth diagnosis in just one test because MRIs show bones, organs and soft tissue. 

The problem is that it's hard to explain to the children that the intimidating test is the best thing for them.

He said kids between the ages of four and seven, in particular, are hard to soothe. Some last just one minute inside the diagnostic machine, pushing an emergency button almost as soon as they get inside.

"If they're not co-operative, there's no way you can get the scan done," said Khan.

The alternative, he said, is to sedate them, and at times use anesthesiology. But that creates a greater risk for the child.

It means they must spend the day in the hospital, which is harder on families and requires a team to monitor the patient through the day.

About 12 years ago, Khan's former colleague learned about MRI simulators in other children's hospitals, and pitched one for Halifax. Simulators are placed in waiting rooms and show the children what's to come in a playful manner.

They're monitored by health-care workers who walk the young patients through the process of lying on the bed and being pushed into the small tunnel of the machine.

"It's true-to-life kind of method of preparing a child," said Khan.

But even more than a decade ago, a fake MRI came with a steep price tag: between $5,000 and $15,000.

A few years ago, another employee who was also working at Dalhousie University suggested the hospital pitch the simulator to students in the engineering department. That's how Jonathon Betteridge found out about the need.

"It's actually going to make an impact on people," he said of his desire to help.

Betteridge and three of his peers took on the task as part of their final-year assignment, called the Capstone project. Their goal was to replicate the entire MRI machine, except for its ability to do imaging.

The task was much harder than Betteridge expected.

"We were originally thinking of using wood like 2x4s and stuff like that to put this thing together, but they don't want wood in the hospital because it can rot, so we had to come up with an alternative," he said.

They turned to a local fibreglass company, Granby FRP Tanks, which donated the materials to help build the equipment.

They recorded the sounds of the IWK's MRI and installed them on a tablet in the simulator, and decorated it in bright, appealing colours. 

Betteridge said it took a while before all the pieces came together. They were shut down by COVID-19 in the spring, so Betteridge returned in the fall to finish the project and install it at the hospital. 

"The sliding bed was pretty tricky because finding something that can travel two feet and also support a lot of weight is a lot harder than we expected," he said.

The simulator is now complete and fully installed at the hospital. Khan said they haven't yet done a full demonstration with a child because of COVID-19, but he's anxious to put it to the test. 

"We are really delighted to see the effects of it," he said.

"If we can — in a small number of children — avoid anesthesia, that means a lot in our health-care system. Not only can children have a safe and quicker MRI done, but it also frees up the anesthesiology team to attend other matters in the hospital."