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MRI
8.1.2022

Thank You & Winners | MRI Safety Week

By Laura Calise

Thank you to everyone who participated in MRI Safety Week this year. We hope that you came away with some knowledge you might not have had before and had some fun along the way!

The winners for this week were:

Monday:
Jamie Weathersbee | Research
Tracey Keeley | 6 West

Tuesday:
Gale Milligan | MRI
Sara Hoffman | Blood bank

Wednesday​:
Kathryn Lipscomb | Neuroradiology
Cassie Arvidson | OR

Thursday:
Mandy Claytor | CT
Gini Porter | Patient Experience

Friday:
Amy Jordan | Offsite AE
Nik Lavin | 4 East

Grand Prize Drawing:

Emma Skeen | Neuroradiology
Jessica Ruiz | NNICU

MRI Safety Star of the Week: Ryan Silver

If you are a winner and have not yet come to MRI to collect your prize, please contact Laura Calise at 2-3155 or lkd5t@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu. MRI is located on the first floor of the main hospital toward the back of the hospital.

Previously Published

Friday, July 29

MRI Safety Story of the Day

Disclosure, the following incident did NOT occur at UVA but at another facility.

"A little while ago, we had to quench a 3T magnet. An experienced and MRI safety-trained nurse wore commercially available ankle supports/braces into the MRI room. This was unknown to the MRI staff. She thought that the supporting material was a hard plastic and had worn them several times earlier into various MRI rooms without incident. The rigid material inside the plastic supports was ferromagnetic and she had been just lucky that the earlier exposures hadn't resulted in an accident. 

That day, this particular 3T room had the trolley for the table top removed and the nurse stepped closer to the magnet while positioning her young patient. The magnet first grabbed one leg brace, then the other one. She had to be supported by two people to keep her upright or basically horizontal. One technologist removed the young patient out of the room quickly. Another technologist and the MRSO quickly assessed the situation seeing if the nurse could be safely removed from the magnet without harm, but she was in a lot of pain and it was worsening. 

The MRSO ultimately decided to quench the magnet. Within 15 seconds of the quench button being pressed the magnet released her. She and the other staff who were holding her were all able to walk out of the room safely while the quench continued. 

The machine executed a perfect quench in that there was no leakage or other noticeable effects (aside from noise). Our service engineer did an excellent job in maintaining the quench system and he was able to get the magnet up and running 3 days later.

This was such a scary event, but we were so fortunate that the patient, the nurse and other people were not harmed. It is chilling to think of what could have happened and how much worse it could have been. The nurse could have broken her legs. Or as she was losing her balance, she could have grabbed the sheet or the patient in a panic and pulled the patient to the floor... none of that happened. Our MRI Staff acted very appropriately in this situation. We wanted to share this incident with the MRI Safety world because we know that so much can be learned from it."

Daily Activity

This year, MRI Safety Week 2022 is recognized July 24-30. The goal for the week is to increase awareness and understanding of MRI Safety by providing fun, daily activities in addition to sharing an MRI safety story that will help everyone better understand the importance of MRI safety and how everyone plays a part.

Participation in activities and prize drawings will be done daily. Daily prizes include Higher Grounds gift cards, movie tickets, hats, insulated lunch boxes, and insulated cups. A larger prize will be drawn Monday, Aug. 1, which include a Bluetooth speaker, wireless earbuds, and wireless headphones. Every daily participation sheet will be entered into the larger drawing. (For example, if you complete the activity every day, you will earn five chances to win the large prize, in addition to the daily drawings.)

Please complete and turn in the daily activity sheets to be entered into the five drawings (one per day). Completed activity sheets can be dropped off in the MRI Safety Box in the MRI Department of the main hospital (first floor, Suite 1001) or you can email it to Laura Calise at lkd5t@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu. If you are unable to print from the above link, copies will be available at the drop off location. Please share with team members who may not check email routinely.

Thursday, July 28

MRI Safety Tidbit of the Day

For the past two years we have all paid attention to "bending the curve" of increasing COVID infections. For many of us this was a bit of an introduction as to how individual action, aggregated over a large population, can intentionally shift the course of history. We’re doing it with COVID and we can do it with MRI, too.

No, are not talking about reducing the number of MRI exams. We are talking about reducing the rates of MRI adverse events by doing our part to provide the safest and most effective MRI service possible.

Over the past 20 years, the rate of FDA-reported MRI accidents (red line in the graph, below) has grown more than twice as quickly as the rate of growth of MRI exams (blue line). 

MRI chart

At UVA Health, we follow industry best practices for the safety of our patients because we are determined to help "bend this curve" to help bring down the overall number of MRI accidents. And, like everyone is doing with respect to COVID, we have taken action here under our own roof to help protect you, our patients, as well as our own caregivers. 

Please join UVA Health in observing MRI Safety Week this week, with special appreciation to our MRI technologists, radiologists, administrators, and support staff.

Daily Activity

This year, MRI Safety Week 2022 is recognized July 24-30. The goal for the week is to increase awareness and understanding of MRI Safety by providing fun, daily activities in addition to sharing an MRI safety story that will help everyone better understand the importance of MRI safety and how everyone plays a part.

Participation in activities and prize drawings will be done daily. Daily prizes include Higher Grounds gift cards, movie tickets, hats, insulated lunch boxes, and insulated cups. A larger prize will be drawn Monday, Aug. 1, which include a Bluetooth speaker, wireless earbuds, and wireless headphones. Every daily participation sheet will be entered into the larger drawing. (For example, if you complete the activity every day, you will earn five chances to win the large prize, in addition to the daily drawings.)

Please complete and turn in the daily activity sheets to be entered into the five drawings (one per day). Completed activity sheets can be dropped off in the MRI Safety Box in the MRI Department of the main hospital (first floor, Suite 1001) or you can email it to Laura Calise at lkd5t@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu. If you are unable to print from the above link, copies will be available at the drop off location. Please share with team members who may not check email routinely.

Wednesday, July 27

MRI Safety Tidbit of the Day

In 2019, an estimated 42 million MRI exams were performed in the United States. With a population of roughly 330 million, that means that — on average — about one-in-eight U.S. residents got an MRI in 2019. If you know approximately 500 people then, statistically, of your immediate pool of acquaintances, roughly 64 people had MRIs in 2019. We may think of MRI as being a rare or exceptional diagnostic tool, but it has become fairly commonplace.

One-in-eight of us getting MRIs is more common than left-handedness (about one-in-ten), or Sagittarius (about one-in-13), and, thankfully, more common than those who believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows (about one-in-14). Surely something so common and important to our health is well-regulated, right?

Not in the USA, it’s not. 

But to protect our patients, caregivers, and visitors, we take it upon ourselves to follow MRI safety best practices. If you or your loved ones ever need to visit us at UVA Health's MRI suite, know that our colleagues take your safety very seriously. 

This year, during MRI Safety Week, UVA Health is making a particular effort to share news about our MRI service and how we strive to the highest levels of professional practice.

Daily Activity

This year, MRI Safety Week 2022 is recognized July 24-30. The goal for the week is to increase awareness and understanding of MRI Safety by providing fun, daily activities in addition to sharing an MRI safety story that will help everyone better understand the importance of MRI safety and how everyone plays a part.

Participation in activities and prize drawings will be done daily. Daily prizes include Higher Grounds gift cards, movie tickets, hats, insulated lunch boxes, and insulated cups. A larger prize will be drawn Monday, Aug. 1, which include a Bluetooth speaker, wireless earbuds, and wireless headphones. Every daily participation sheet will be entered into the larger drawing. (For example, if you complete the activity every day, you will earn five chances to win the large prize, in addition to the daily drawings.)

Please complete and turn in the daily activity sheets to be entered into the five drawings (one per day). Completed activity sheets can be dropped off in the MRI Safety Box in the MRI Department of the main hospital (first floor, Suite 1001) or you can email it to Laura Calise at lkd5t@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu. If you are unable to print from the above link, copies will be available at the drop off location. Please share with team members who may not check email routinely.

Tuesday, July 26

Day 2 | Participate Daily in MRI Safety Week and Win Prizes!

MRI Safety Tidbit of the Day

Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, is a special type of medical imaging which — unlike X-rays — doesn’t use ionizing radiation which, when inappropriately used, may carry cancer risks. While MRI does not have the cancer risks, it does have its own unique set of risks that our technologists and radiologists work diligently to minimize.

Given that "magnetic" is the first part of the name, many people know that MRI scanners attract magnetizable metals to them, potentially with alarming force. But do you know the other risk that our staff actively manage to help keep MRI patients and workers safe? See if you can pick out the other risk (or risks) that is (are) particular to MRI ...

If you read through them all, and had a hard time narrowing the list down to one or two, that’s probably because this is a bit of a trick question … all seven of the above items are real risks/hazards that come from MRI in addition to pulling metal objects across the room.

Our staff do an excellent job working hard to keep everyone in the MRI area safe, and to deliver the best care available. This week, MRI Safety Week, we’re sharing a bit of what it is that our MRI staff and physicians work on with the goal of making MRI one of the safest imaging choices for our patients and physicians.

Daily Activity

This year, MRI Safety Week 2022 is recognized July 24-30. The goal for the week is to increase awareness and understanding of MRI Safety by providing fun, daily activities in addition to sharing an MRI safety story that will help everyone better understand the importance of MRI safety and how everyone plays a part.

Participation in activities and prize drawings will be done daily. Daily prizes include Higher Grounds gift cards, movie tickets, hats, insulated lunch boxes, and insulated cups. A larger prize will be drawn Monday, Aug. 1, which include a Bluetooth speaker, wireless earbuds, and wireless headphones. Every daily participation sheet will be entered into the larger drawing. (For example, if you complete the activity every day, you will earn five chances to win the large prize, in addition to the daily drawings.)

Please complete and turn in the daily activity sheets to be entered into the five drawings (one per day). Completed activity sheets can be dropped off in the MRI Safety Box in the MRI Department of the main hospital (first floor, Suite 1001) or you can email it to Laura Calise at lkd5t@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu. If you are unable to print from the above link, copies will be available at the drop off location. Please share with team members who may not check email routinely.

Monday, July 25

Day 1 | Participate Daily in MRI Safety Week and Win Prizes!

This year, MRI Safety Week 2022 is recognized July 24-30. The goal for the week is to increase awareness and understanding of MRI Safety by providing fun, daily activities in addition to sharing an MRI safety story that will help everyone better understand the importance of MRI safety and how everyone plays a part.

Participation in activities and prize drawings will be done daily. Daily prizes include Higher Grounds gift cards, movie tickets, hats, insulated lunch boxes, and insulated cups. A larger prize will be drawn Monday, Aug. 1, which include a Bluetooth speaker, wireless earbuds, and wireless headphones. Every daily participation sheet will be entered into the larger drawing. (For example, if you complete the activity every day, you will earn five chances to win the large prize, in addition to the daily drawings.)

Please complete and turn in the daily activity sheets to be entered into the five drawings (one per day). Completed activity sheets can be dropped off in the MRI Safety Box in the MRI Department of the main hospital (first floor, Suite 1001) or you can email it to Laura Calise at lkd5t@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu. If you are unable to print from the above link, copies will be available at the drop off location. Please share with team members who may not check email routinely.

MRI Safety Story of the Day

MRI Safety Week was established in the early 2000s following a tragic MRI incident in which a young boy was killed at a New York Hospital. In July 2001, Michael Colombini was anesthetized and placed in an MRI scanner for follow-up after surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. When the boy began to suffer respiratory distress, the MRI staff tried to use the suite's built-in oxygen supply, but it did not work. When someone brought a portable steel oxygen tank into the room, the magnetic force of the MRI scanner pulled the tank toward the system. The tank struck the boy in the head, and he died two days later.

Following the accident, a thorough investigation was conducted and it was determined that a lack of MRI safety training, not only for MRI staff but also non-MRI staff members, played a role in this death.  Since then, The American College of Radiology (ACR) has updated safety guidance documents that include corrective measures towards improving safety, education, and public awareness.

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