Motorized Patient Couch and Plastic Composite Outer Covers for a new MRI Scanner Design

Description

The University of Aberdeen (UoA) is constructing an experimental MRI scanner for use in clinical research. The project requires the design and manufacture of a bespoke patient couch, outer covers (for safety and cosmetic purposes) and a bore tube that can hold a whole-body radio frequency (RF) coil. All parts must be manufactured to a standard required for future clinical certification. The tender may also include the option to bid for fabrication of a compatible RF coil and RF shield to be designed in partnership with the project team at UoA. 3 main areas are required: Motorized Patient Couch - A motorised patient couch will be required to allow safe actuation by the operator to move the patient horizontally into the scanner bore with a high degree of precision in patient position. Dependant on cost of implementing, it may also be desirable to include a mechanism allowing similarly accurate adjustment of height. A positioning system (laser crosshair or similar) will be needed to ensure the organ to image is positioned at the centre of the magnet. This could potentially be incorporated into the bore tube (see lot 2) The couch design will need to maximise the available volume inside the scanner bore for patient comfort and should include anchoring points to attach MRI coils on its top, and sensors underneath. Bore Tube - The central bore of the scanner must be lined with a plastic composite tube (bore tube) for patient safety and cosmetics. To function correctly, the bore tube should also integrate guide rails for the MRI bed, a slot to insert a whole-body radiofrequency coil, a slot to insert a radiofrequency shield, an air circulation system for patient comfort, a lighting system with level and colours controllable by an external computer, anchoring points for sensors underneath the MRI bed, and a cable tray or similar solution for cable management. The invitation to tender may also include as part of this lot the option to bid for fabrication of a compatible RF coil and RF shield to be designed in partnership with the project team at UoA. Outer Covers - The scanner requires outer coverings for both safety and aesthetic reasons. The covers must be composed of materials and manufactured to standards compatible with clinical usage. Their aesthetic must, as far as possible, aim to improve patient comfort, for example, through minimizing the sensation of claustrophobia when entering the bore tube. The outer covers must also incorporate the control panel for the patient couch at a position allowing the operator to see the patient positioning system. Similar to lot 2, the outer covers will need to provide mounting points for additional sensors as well as access points for connection of accessory components such as radio frequency coils, sound system and control switches for the bed. These accessory systems will be constructed by the team at UoA or otherwise procured separately.