From the October 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


Even though lead shielding costs more than drywall, it can also be effective in reducing acoustic noise since lead is soft and does not readily vibrate. Another method they use is putting the magnet on the ground floor and constructing an isolated room slab or magnet pad to reduce the amount of vibration of the floors and walls.

Opening the door to new features
In the past, when patients were connected to an IV and needed an MR scan, they either had to be disconnected from the IV or the facility had to purchase expensive MR-compatible infusion pumps. But a new technique allows the patient to remain connected to the machine without having to bring it inside of the room.
“What has come of interest is a way to allow that patient to remain attached to the machines and allow the machine to remain outside,” says Imedco’s Krachon.

Imedco created what they call a Pass-thru IV Door Waveguide, which is a portal built into the door. They weld the waveguide itself into the frame so that it’s seamlessly integrated and can be conductively attached to the door when it’s closed. The IV lines are then put through the waveguides when the door is open and then when it’s closed, the waveguides are enclosed and protected.

Krachon says the waveguide has become more popular over the past two to three years, although the first prototypes were installed in the research setting about a decade ago. He thinks the interest might be due to the clinical importance of keeping certain patients connected to the IV source, especially neonatal intensive care unit and pediatrics patients, and the high cost of MR-compatible infusion pumps.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia installed the IV Waveguides in their MR suites and it has greatly helped them improve productivity and patient safety, says Tomlinson. “Here you have this waveguide in the door and you just tuck the tubes and you’re done — you’re not unhooking anything so it’s great for time and patient safety,” he says.

Other features that are gaining interest are secured access systems such as keypad entry and card reader systems. “It has become more important to ensure that the only personnel walking into the room are those that are qualified or certified or have authority to do so,” says Krachon.

Along those lines, many facilities are also interested in ferromagnetic detection systems that detect ferromagnetic objects before they enter into Zone IV of the MR room. Imedco builds KOPP Development Inc.’s FerrAlert HALO II into their doors, which sets off an audio alarm as well as indicator lights if a ferromagnetic object is detected.

October 2014 Magazine

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