Energy Conservation in MRI: Sequence Selection and Operational Strategies

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Environmental Science
• Healthcare Sustainability

Background:

• The healthcare sector contributes significantly to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with medical imaging, particularly MRI, being a major contributor.
• Optimizing energy consumption in MRI is crucial for reducing its environmental footprint.
• While reducing inappropriate scans and idle equipment energy use are key, exploring sequence-level optimizations is an underexplored area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the energy consumption components of MRI systems.
• To compare the energy expenditure of clinically interchangeable MRI sequences.
• To identify opportunities for reducing MRI's environmental impact through sequence selection.

Main Methods:

• Monitored the energy expenditure (kWh) of a single MRI machine over one month.
• Differentiated energy consumption between gradient systems and system electronics.
• Analyzed de-identified patient data aggregated by MRI sequence type.

Main Results:

• Total energy consumption measured was 20,508.84 kWh.
• Gradient systems accounted for 76.89% of energy use, while system electronics used 23.11%.
• Clinically similar MRI sequences showed significant energy consumption differences, with efficient alternatives offering 20-49% reduction per sequence.

Conclusions:

• MRI systems exhibit substantial energy consumption variations based on operational status and sequence type.
• Several MRI sequences can be substituted with diagnostically equivalent, lower-energy options.
• Informed clinical operations and sequence selection can effectively mitigate the environmental impact of MRI services.