The Hidden Costs of Rigid MR Coils
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a cornerstone of modern diagnostics, yet inefficiencies in its workflow can lead to significant time losses. One often-overlooked factor contributing to these inefficiencies is the use of traditional rigid MRI coils. These coils can prolong setup times, disrupt workflows, and ultimately reduce patient throughput.
The Time Drain of Traditional MRI Coils
Traditional MRI coils are typically bulky and inflexible, making patient positioning a cumbersome process. This rigidity can lead to prolonged setup times, especially when multiple coil adjustments are necessary to accommodate different body types or imaging requirements. Such delays can cascade, affecting subsequent appointments and overall departmental efficiency.
A study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology highlighted that table turnaround time, including removing the MRI coil and assisting the patient off the table, adds to the overall time. In this conventional model, workflow delays are carried over to subsequent appointments, which may cascade into delays, poor patient experience, cancellations, and rescheduling.
Further research indicates that workflow inefficiencies can consume up to a third of the MRI procedure time . These inefficiencies not only impact patient satisfaction but also limit the number of scans that can be performed daily, affecting the facility's revenue and resource utilization.
The Impact on Patient Throughput
The cumulative effect of these time drains is a significant reduction in patient throughput. A study in PLOS ONE demonstrated that by adjusting MRI examination scheduling to reduce the number of coil changes, patient wait times decreased, and the daily number of patients examined increased . This finding underscores the importance of efficient coil management in enhancing MRI department productivity.
Innovations in MRI Coil Design
To address these challenges, advancements in MRI coil technology have led to the development of flexible, lightweight coils. These modern coils conform to the patient's body, reducing the need for repositioning and enabling quicker setup times.
InkSpace Imaging is among the innovators pushing flexible MRI coil technology further — particularly for challenging use cases like pediatric imaging and body coils that serve multiple anatomical regions.
InkSpace Imaging coils are:
Featherlight and flexible – Their split-pad designs allow for 360° coverage and quick patient setup.
Clinician-driven in design – Created with feedback from radiologists and technologists to reduce setup complexity and improve workflow integration.
Pediatric-focused and adult-ready – Their pediatric body array is optimized for smaller patients without compromising diagnostic image quality, while their body coils support multi-region imaging without repositioning.
Coil reduced scan time by 40%
One clinical example: a pediatric cardiac scan using InkSpace’s flexible coil reduced the total scan time from 17 minutes to just 10.5 minutes — a 40% improvement — thanks to reduced movement and faster setup.
These innovations not only cut down on patient time in the magnet but also reduce technologist fatigue, rescheduling, and repeat exams — pain points that hospital administrators and imaging directors are increasingly trying to solve.
The hidden time costs associated with traditional MRI coils are no longer ignorable. Rigid, cumbersome hardware slows workflows, extends exam times, and frustrates both clinicians and patients. But solutions exist.
Flexible MRI coils — like those from InkSpace Imaging — are proving essential to the next generation of MRI workflows. They minimize setup complexity, reduce patient movement, and increase scan efficiency, all while supporting the growing demand for high-quality, high-throughput imaging.
In an industry where time, image quality, and comfort are non-negotiable, the move toward smarter coil design isn’t just a preference — it’s becoming a necessity.
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