MRI screening: what's in your pocket?
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Pennsylvania patient safety advisory
- Author(s):
- Field, Cynthia, author
- Contributor(s):
- Pennsylvania. Patient Safety Authority, issuing body.
- Publication:
- [Harrisburg, Pa.] : Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, December 2018
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Equipment Safety Magnetic Fields -- adverse effects Magnetic Resonance Imaging -- adverse effects Medical Errors -- prevention & control Patient Safety Humans Pennsylvania United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a frequently used diagnostic imaging modality that may be an alternative to other types of radiologic imaging (e.g., computerized tomography, nuclear medicine imaging). It can detect soft tissue characteristics (e.g., inflammation), and because magnetic resonance (MR) uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images, it does not expose patients to ionizing radiation. Strict attention to MRI screening to prevent ferromagnetic objects and devices from reaching the MR scanner's magnetic field is important for safe MRI. Significant injury can occur to individuals in the MR scanner suite if a ferromagnetic object or a device with ferromagnetic components is exposed to the magnetic field and radiofrequency energy of the MR scanner. To prevent injuries, MRI screening is done to identify ferromagnetic objects before patients, staff, or equipment enters the MR scanner room. The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority was asked to review reports of MRI screening events submitted to the Authority. A query and analysis were completed of MRI screening events submitted from 2009 through 2017 through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS), which identified 1,108 screening events. More than one-quarter of the events involved a device or object brought into the MR scanner room that was not considered safe for MRI. The most common objects or devices involved in MRI screening events were pacemakers (32.3%, n = 353 of 1,093 objects). As medical technology advances, so do the risks for MRI screening events. It is essential to maintain high standards of MRI safety: research all medical devices for MR compatibility, educate patients and healthcare personnel regarding MR safety, and provide comprehensive MRI screening of all individuals entering the MRI suite.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (20 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101739377 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101739377