Watch this video first…
… and then read this article. Some excerpts…
A medical physicist in Alabama has noticed what could be a disturbing trend: exploding MRI magnets. Dr. Wlad Sobol of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, describes what may have caused the incidents and offers advice for avoiding potentially catastrophic incidents at medical facilities.
Wlad Sobol, PhD, a medical physicist and professor of radiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System, said at least five MRI magnets have exploded in U.S. healthcare facilities over the last 10 years, but the incidents have gone mostly unreported.
After investigating the scene of an explosion, inspecting current installations, and visiting two MRI magnet manufacturing sites, Sobol said the most plausible reasons for explosions are the mishandling of hardware during installation, removal, or servicing, as well as environmental or operational missteps that affect operating conditions.
He advises medical physicists overseeing installations and day-to-day maintenance to become very familiar with the operational characteristics of magnet cryosystems composed of thermal and mechanical stresses and superefficient insulation.
“Those involved with installations need to be aware of cryogenic venting arrangements and ensure the pipes are not clogged,” Sobol said.It is reasonable to suspect that there may have been other incidents besides those half dozen that occurred in the southeast, Sobol said. Publicizing mishaps is not an avenue for drawing national attention that facilities or manufacturers would choose. Reporting is strictly voluntary, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not track MRI magnet explosions, he added.
“Available anecdotal information suggests that a surprising number of existing MRI installations, especially the older ones located in rural areas, may suffer from subpar, shoddy cryovent implementations. These might create risks nobody is prepared to accept,” Sobol said.
Thank goodness there has not been an explosion when a patient was being scanned. I’m sure THAT everyone would have heard of.
That’s scary!
Good post! One more item of information to be aware of when moving an MRI.
And that’s what happens when you lie to the radtech and not give them that piece of jewelry or admit that you have that plate in your head — PEOPLE GET HURT!!