MRI services unavailable until January 2023
A maintenance issue means that the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC) will not be able to offer small animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) services until the new year.
UPDATE: Based on input from suppliers, the earliest date that the WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre's (VMC) small animal MRI unit will resume operations in the new year is Thursday, January 19.
A maintenance issue has forced the veterinary teaching hospital to close its small animal MRI machine earlier than expected this week. The medical imaging team had to shut down services on Monday, Dec. 19 — five days earlier than the VMC had announced last week.
The original service disruption was due to a limited supply of liquid helium — a key component for cooling the veterinary teaching hospital's MRI unit. The nonrenewable element, which is in high demand around the world, is needed as a refrigerant for the superconducting magnets that are critical components in MRI machines.
While newer machines require reduced quantities of helium, the amount needed to cool down the VMC's older MRI unit has gradually increased over time.
Globally, human and veterinary health care providers are dealing with supply shortages of liquid helium caused by several factors — including decreased supply from major producers in the United States and Russia.
The VMC had previously placed an order for more helium, but unfortunately, delivery will not take place until January 2023 at the earliest.
The hospital's need for a new supply of liquid helium, combined with the new maintenance issue, means that the medical imaging modality will not be available until later in January 2023.
The VMC apologizes for the inconvenience to its referring veterinary clinics and their patients. Once the VMC's medical imaging staff have a confirmed date for resuming MRI services in the new year, the hospital will make sure to update its referring veterinary clinics.