ECRI (formerly the Emergency Care Research Institute) is a nonprofit health services research agency and a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization (WHO). It is designated as an Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI's mission is to improve the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. It is widely recognized as one of the world's leading independent organizations committed to advancing the quality of healthcare.

As MRI technology advances, the potential for incidents and injury of patients and staff increases. (See related story in DOTmed's News Achive -- link at the bottom of this page -- Aug. 22, 2005.) The growing popularity of stronger systems for cardiac imaging can lead to confusion about which devices are safe to use in the environment, potentially creating new hazards. How will these changes and advancements affect hospitals and healthcare facilities? How will they ensure the MR environment is as safe as possible for patients and staff?

These and other issues will be discussed during ECRI's upcoming audio conference, "MRI Safety and Medical Devices," on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 from 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. EDT (12:00 to 1:15 p.m. CDT; 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. MDT; 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. PDT). Experts will address MRI's potential hazards, pacemakers and MRI, American College of Radiology safe practice guidelines, issues involved with stronger systems, and proposed changes in MR terminology. Participants will also receive a free Health Devices "MRI Safety and Medical Devices" Guidance Article.

- Speakers include: Emanuel Kanal, MD, FACR, Director, Magnetic Resonance Services, Professor of Radiology and Neuroradiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Jason H. Launders, MSc, Senior Medical Physicist, Health Devices Group, ECRI, Plymouth Meeting, PA
- Frank G. Shellock, Ph.D., FACC, FACSM, Adjunct Clinical Professor of Radiology and Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California and Institute for Magnetic Resonance Safety, Education, and Research, Los Angeles, CA
- Terry O. Woods, Ph.D., FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Division of Solid and Fluid Mechanics, Rockville, MD
- James Keller, MS, Moderator, Director, Health Devices Group, ECRI, Plymouth Meeting, PA

The registration fee is $129 for members of ECRI's SELECTplus^TM, Health Devices System, Health Devices Gold, and Healthcare Risk Control System; the cost is $229 for nonmembers. The deadline for registration and payment is Friday, September 16, 2005.

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