Safety in the MR environment: MR safety screening practices
- Series Title(s):
- Pennsylvania patient safety advisory
- Contributor(s):
- Pennsylvania. Patient Safety Authority. ECRI (Organization) Institute for Safe Medication Practices.
- Publication:
- [Harrisburg, Pa.] : Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, c2009
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Accident Prevention Accidents Equipment Safety -- standards Magnetic Resonance Imaging -- adverse effects Magnetics Patient Care Planning Patient Selection Disclosure Electromagnetic Fields -- adverse effects Facility Design and Construction Magnetic Resonance Imaging -- standards Humans United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Electromagnetic and ferromagnetic materials in close proximity to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner can be a hazardous safety risk to any individual near the scanner. To avoid injury from interference and attraction effects, individuals are screened before entering the MRI scan room. The magnetic resonance (MR) screening process typically consists of interviews between MR personnel and patients or other non-MR personnel needing access to the MRI scanner and completion of a questionnaire (MR screening form). The MR screening form contains questions to ask individuals needing access to the MRI scan room in order to identify potential contraindicated objects on or in their bodies, such as an implanted cardiac pacemaker. The magnetic field of the MRI scanner could affect ferromagnetic objects implanted in an individual in such a way as to cause harm. In 2008, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority received approximately 150 reports describing events in which the MR clinical screening process was inadequate and, in some cases, erroneously permitted patients with implanted pacemakers and other ferromagnetic objects into the MRI scanner room. Rigorous MR screening practices will help reduce hazards from contraindicated implants and ferromagnetic objects in close proximity to the MRI scanner.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. (More information)
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101563448 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101563448