Brandon Johnson started his career working a graveyard shift as an MRI technologist. In order to get an accurate scan, the patient’s head needs to fit into a coil or attachment, but if the patient has difficulty positioning their head in the coil, MRI staff like Johnson have to assist the patient.
This assistance often includes manually lifting the patient’s lower torso and placing pillows or other support items underneath to keep them in the correct position. “Sometimes we can use up to six or seven pillows to lift a patient’s lower half. This puts a lot of strain on both the patient and care giver,” Johnson said. “I thought there must be an easier way that doesn’t put the technologist and the patient at risk for getting hurt.”
During those late nights, Johnson started to brainstorm a solution. How could he create a device that would lift a patient, maintain a certain angle for accuracy over the scan time and be compatible with CPR protocols? Those brainstorming sessions resulted in the KyphoLift.
As the name suggests, the KyphoLift lifts patients in a safe, efficient way so they are able to fit into the head or neck coils more comfortably. “Kypho” refers to kyphosis, or a rounding of the back common in older people, that complicates MRI scans.
Estimates show that around 10% of MRI patients require the additional assistance and time for correct exam positioning. KyphoLift eliminates the need to manually lift patients into position and potential re-positioning. This standardized approach allows predictable schedules and improved patient throughput. Time is used for the reimbursed amounts of time, leading to more scans per day and less waiting for patients.
To use, an MRI technologist places the KyphoLift on the MRI table, securely straps the patients in and then uses the attached pump to set the patient at the correct angle.
The technology solves multiple problems at once. MRI staff are less likely to injure themselves while lifting patients on their own, and KyphoLift is quick and easy to use, meaning there are less delays in preparing a patient for their scan.
“It is now more important than ever to keep staff safe from injuries and burn out. In 2023, the America Society of Radiologic Technologists recorded the highest rate of MRI vacancies,” Johnson said.
“At the same time, imaging has become so crucial for diagnosis that we not only have radiology departments in all hospitals, but there are standalone imaging centers that have been opening their doors to meet the demand. The KyphoLift allows technologists to feel confident when imaging, even if they are alone, to help position a patient.”
Patients placed on the KyphoLift as opposed to pillows are not only more comfortable, but they receive more accurate scans. The pillows used to lift a patient are compressed over the duration of a scan, lowering the patient, while KyphoLift stays at the same height the entire time and uses straps to ensure the patients stay in the same position.
“In MRI today, patients must be adapted to the rigid equipment; KyphoLift adapts equipment to the patient,” Johnson said.
Leveraging University of Utah connections
The resources available through the Technology Licensing Office are available to more than just professors. Johnson is a prime example of the office and university’s efforts to support all innovators at the U.
Miles Lawrence, University of Utah lead CT technologist, and Lisa Bakhsheshy, senior director radiology clinical services at the U, pose with Brandon Johnson at the RSNA conference in November. Johnson invented KyphoLift at the U.
Johnson developed KyphoLift while working as a staff member in the University of Utah Health system and tapped into those resources at the U, including the support of U doctors, professors and the Technology Licensing Office. “Associates like these gave me the support and confidence needed to get on the right path and market approach,” he said. “I knew other medical products had been developed at the University of Utah and that it was possible.”
As an MRI technologist himself, he knew the pain points facing the care providers, giving him a leg up in the development. Johnson frequently points to a quote from MIT professor Eric Von Hippel as proof that other U staff members can create useful devices like KyphoLift: “80% of innovations made by the end user are successful.”
While he had the firsthand knowledge and experience assisting patients in an MRI setting, he needed a team to support him. “I am very passionate about KyphoLift and what it does. However, if I did not gather the right people to help, my passion would have ended in burn out,” Johnson said. “A team will help see it through. Technology Licensing Office showed me how to keep the idea safe while building a team of people.”
Johnson credits the U’s proximity to local medical device leaders for getting him in contact with some of the people now on his team with KyphoLift.
“KyphoLift is gaining traction and success, and it is because of the network and guidance offered at the University of Utah,” Johnson said.
The team behind KyphoLift continues to be motivated by its goal of improving the patient experience and providing safer, more efficient workflows for technologists, and, meanwhile, Johnson hopes his story of becoming an innovator and entrepreneur while working as an MRI tech can inspire others to pursue their ideas.
“You do not need answers to start, just a problem identified. When I started MRI at the U I didn’t imagine myself having a medical device company,” Johnson said. “It is possible; go for it!”
