DOTmed Industry Sector Report: MR Shielding

by Kathy Mahdoubi, Senior Correspondent | February 19, 2010

Not Just Shielding

ETS-Lindgren has some other solutions for MR safety. The company's Ferroguard Beacon freestanding and wall-mounted warning system is comprised of two sensors positioned outside the MRI vault that sets off an alarm when ferrous material is about to be brought into the magnetic field. No more flying oxygen tanks and other metal accessories, or issues with metal implants not recorded in patients' medical histories. When approaching the poles, any materials that might be a safety hazard will set off a three-level visual alarm. Depending upon the risk involved, the Ferroguard Beacon will glow green, yellow or red. A red alarm is accompanied by an audible alarm. The American College of Radiology is now recommending the Ferroguard Beacon on all new installations. "This is an area of MR safety that is really going to ramp-up over the next couple of years. It's not getting into the headlines," says William Giacone III, vice president and general manager of Lindgren RF Enclosures, Inc.

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The company also provides a technology that can actually counteract fluctuations in magnetic fields due to environmental interference. The Magnetic Active Compensation System (MACS) uses negative feedback technology and auto-adjusts as the environment changes using probes and sensors to gauge and counteract AC/DC magnetic interference and disturbances caused by traffic patterns, electrical transformers and elevators, which might otherwise create "zippers" and other artifacts on MR images.