Chances are, you don’t think about the safety of medical procedures like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) until you or a loved one need one. But don’t fear—should the need for an MRI come up, RiverView Health has a highly-skilled, knowledgeable Diagnostic Imaging Team adhering to the highest levels of safety every day.
July 21-27 is MRI Safety Week. RiverView technologists take safety very seriously for all patients and team members who encounter the strong magnet used during MRI. The department subscribes to MagResource, an online database of MRI safety information for medical implants offering the most comprehensive and up-to-date MRI safety information specific to RiverView’s MRI model.
Maggi Lund is RiverView’s MRI technologist. She’s been doing MRIs for 21 years and says patient and staff safety is always her top priority.
“The magnetic field is always on,’’ she reported. “There are many different ways a patient or healthcare worker can be injured by the strong magnetic field if safety guidelines are not followed. Making sure that doesn’t happen is the most challenging part of my job.’’
Detailed Pictures Lead to Early Detection
MRI is a painless way to look inside the body without using X-rays. Imaging occurs inside a large, tube-like structure that is open on both ends. A large magnet, radio waves, and a computer are used to scan the body and produce detailed pictures that cannot be seen on conventional X-rays. The images display injuries, abnormal conditions, and diseases, if present.
An MRI is a noninvasive way to obtain information about the body that may otherwise be unseen. Its use can lead to early detection and treatment of diseases. MRI makes it possible to see specific tissues and can provide important information about the brain, spine, joints, and internal organs. There are no known side effects of MRI.
The body is composed of small particles called atoms. Hydrogen atoms, or water, make up 95% of the body. Typically, the hydrogen atoms within the body spin around at random. However, when placed inside a strong magnetic field, the hydrogen atoms line up and spin in the same direction. When a radio wave is passed through the body, the hydrogen atoms give off a signal. With the aid of a computer, that signal becomes the source of the MRI information. It produces the images that will assist the provider in diagnosing and planning treatment.
RiverView also does a magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA), a type of MRI used to view blood vessels using state-of-the-art equipment.
MRI and MRA exams typically take 30 to 60 minutes. The patient lies on a table that slides into the opening of the magnet. Because the patient is only required to lie still, and the scan is painless, most patients do not feel discomfort. Thanks to larger-than-normal equipment, patients who are uncomfortable in small spaces or are claustrophobic often find RiverView scans less stressful.
More Comfort, Better Imaging
While most in the industry use a standard 1.5T short-bore MRI machine, RiverView offers a wide-bore 3T MRI, meaning there is more space inside the scanner to allow for more comfort and less restriction of the patient.
“Our machine is called a large bore scanner and accommodates patients up to 550 pounds,’’ Lund shared. “I have had patients who needed sedation for MRI in the past be able to complete their exam without sedation in our scanner.’’
Not only does the machine offer more space, but it also doubles the signal strength of the industry standard MRI and provides extremely clear and vivid images. Additionally, the MRI can often be done faster, decreasing overall scan time. Patients wear headphones for ear protection and communication with the technologist, but music can also be played through the headphones for added comfort.
While Lund said she could scan most parts of the body, the most common are the spine and orthopaedic (extremities).
After the scan, a radiologist reads the exam and reports their findings to the patient’s provider, who then shares the results with the patient.
Patient safety and comfort are always top priorities at RiverView Health. For more information on MRI and MRA, call 281-9428.
