Site Considerations - Coaching

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Consultation and Assistance - Module #5

The Importance of Site Planning for your MRI Magnet, and your MRI Imaging Center

In this Coaching and As Needed Consultation and Assistance Module that you can select for this MRI Imaging Center Project area, we will discuss;

  • The MRI Vendor and Manufacturer will require the Customer receiving the MRI, to retain the Seismic and Vibration testing specialist. We can discuss how, when, and where to contact the Seismic and Vibration testing specialist, the approximate expected expense for the testing, and what you should expect from the process.
  • We can review with you, a previous seismic testing report, without site names or identifying information, to facilitate understanding of why these vibration/seismic tests are important, understand how they work, and understand what the report means.
  • RF Noise (Radio Frequency) is important to shield the MRI Magnet from in order to facilitate artifact and distortion free MRI Images, we will discuss where the RF noise can come from and provide crucial information on the work with contractors who will construct your RF shield in the MRI magnet room. Failure to build a competent RF shield will make it very difficult to create high quality MRI images, and your MRI will be plagued with imaging artifacts that cannot be allowed. The construction of the RF shield can be quite expensive, as most RF shields are made of copper sheets, and there is much to discuss in advance. We will also discuss (EMI) Electromagnetic Interference as it relates to site selection.
  • We will discuss necessary penetrations to the RF shield such as can lights in the ceiling or spot lights to illuminate the room, and we will discuss how your building contractor must mitigate the potential RF noise through filtering from these lights and other RF Shield penetrations.
  • We discuss the standards that you will want the electrical subcontractors to be aware of in the penetrations of the critically important, and very expensive, RF shield. This is an area in which we can see a great deal of issues from subcontractors that need to be addressed upfront at the time of subcontractor selection, and often are not addressed until after you have a problem.
  • We will discuss the important conversations that you will have with your MRI vendor and what their design team should be supplying you with in the form of a Multipage, MRI Magnet Room, Control Room, and Equipment Room Buildout schematics. This includes the disclaimer and customer (client) responsibilities, Site Readiness checklist, and location planning reminders.
  • A detailed and very specific site plan schematic must be provided by your MRI vendor, of the MRI Magnet Room, MRI Control Room, and Equipment Room, with a layout for your specific site and Magnet siting, with dimensions and the demarcations for the 3G, 5G, 10G, 30G, 50G, 100G and 200 Gauss field lines. We will discuss here and in other Assistance Modules, the importance of the process of managing with your MRI Vendor design team, and the actual placement of the MRI Magnet 5 Gauss field line fully within the walls of the MRI exam suite itself. Failure to manage this upfront in the creation of proper MRI Magnet suite plan design, can result in very significant patient, employee, visitor, and adjoining office suite personnel and visitor, safety issues related to the layout of the magnetic field at 5 Gauss or stronger.
  • We will discuss the necessary aspects of the planning, placement and buildout of the MRI cryogen venting system. We can discuss what should be avoided, and what is more ideal in the Cryogen Venting system design and build process.
  • We can discuss the specifications of the weight and BTU output for key MRI equipment components and what that will mean to the client and their architect and builder.
  • We can discuss the various MRI Center Rooms and what to consider, know about and plan for with each; MRI Magnet Room, MRI Control Room, MRI Equipment Room, Dressing and Locker Room, Patient Toilet, Hallways, Patient reception and Patient waiting areas. We can discuss possible minimum suggested room dimensions.
  • We can discuss fire suppression systems, and the possible need for supplemental cooling (CRAC units) due to tight room dimensions, and high BTU heat output that can damage expensive equipment.
  • We can discuss options related to low cost and very efficient city water back up cooling systems for the MRI Magnet, to be employed in the event of a power outage and to forestall a possible bleed off/venting of expensive Helium (Quench).
  • We can discuss humidity and temperature requirements for the control room and magnet room.
  • We can discuss the four critical safety zones and access and control of the Magnet Room.
  • With an existing slab on grade ferrous metal rebar in place, we can discuss the cement core cut and re-pour of cement with non-ferrous metal rebar.
  • We will discuss the design/build requirements of remote monitoring of the MRI unit and the owner requirements.
  • We can provide preplanning assistance in IT pathways, MRI unit IT requirements, and the IT remote send and receive planning architecture for the radiology remote read and report return, including possible archive of the studies.
  • Be aware of the MRI Magnet Room Retrofit. Please be aware that we have worked with a new Magnet Room retrofit in a room that had previously housed an MRI, and we were advised the room was acceptable “as is," and the Magnet Room was not even remotely acceptable “as is.” The client expenses were significant in this magnet room retrofit and were not anticipated by the client in advance. It is important in this type of MRI Magnet Room Retrofit, to know what you will run into, and need to consider in a retrofit of an existing MRI Magnet and Equipment Room. We have exceptionally valuable information to share in the instance of an MRI Magnet Room retrofit, after the removal of a previous MRI unit.