Military Med Team Sending 1st MRI Into Combat Zone

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- Military medical workers at Fort Detrick in Frederick are preparing for the first time to send magnetic resonance imaging machines into a combat zone.

The machines can improve the diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries. But The Frederick News-Post reported Sunday that the Naval Medical Logistics Command faces numerous challenges in transporting the sensitive equipment to field hospitals in Afghanistan.

Officials say each machine weighs 70,000 pounds when installed on a trailer. The containers are 13 1/2 feet tall, and the machines include magnets that must be kept cool in the hot climate.

Nevertheless, officials say they plan to deliver the first of as many as three MRI machines to Afghanistan by early fall. That's less than a year after the unit was assigned the mission in December.

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