Don ' t get burned: Expert tips and tricks on MRI safety

How can MRI staff reduce the impact of radiofrequency-induced heating? Are tattoos and implantable medical devices safe? How can quenching be avoided? What are the special risks in 7-tesla MRI? A prize-winning RSNA 2023 exhibit addressed these and other questions. "While we are familiar with medical safety and ethics principles when errors occur, the culture of blaming parties is still prevalent," noted Ana Paula Santos Lima, MD, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Washington, and colleagues. "Everyone makes mistakes; it's crucial to minimize risks. It's not always direct staff at fault." System-wide vulnerabilities need to be addressed and coherent MRI safety strategies must be implemented, they added.Tattoos are a potential hazard in MRI. Image courtesy of Zsolt Repasy/Alamy Stock Photo. To minimize the impact of radiofrequency-induced heating, the authors advised the following: ul.editorialList li {margin-bottom:6px;} Assess all tattoos for metallic ink. Black, red, and cyan may have metallic flecks that can cause injury. Use a heat sink of a sealable plastic storage bag filled with cool water placed on tattoos that are near the area of interest. Insulate any intravenous tubing, EEG leads, EKG leads, and pulse oximetry equipment so they don't touch the patient. Make sure no leads form loops. Rapidly changing magnetic fields can induce electrical currents in conductive loops, leading to resistive heating and potential burns. Ask patients to wea...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: MRI Source Type: news