Safety at MIDB

Emergency Protocols

Note

Dial 911 for Police, Fire, and Life Threatening Emergencies

Warning

Meet responders at the front door and communicate the dangers of the facility. Do not allow them to enter the magnet room without being screened and briefed.

Building: Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain
Room: 2-195 Address: 2025 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414

Medical Emergencies

  1. Dial 911
  2. Remove subject from scanner and/or magnet room if possible (MR Safe wheelchair is located in the equipment room) a. If and Only If emergency involves a ferrous object pinning someone against the magnet, initiate magnet quench
  3. Administer CPR if required (AED is located on the second floor near the elevator, and on the first floor near the food market, green two-way breathing values are located in the control room)
  4. Meet responding personnel at the front door, escort them to the subject, and communicate dangers of the facility.

Fire

  1. Dial 911
  2. Remove subject/personnel from scanner and/or magnet room
  3. If feasible, perform electrical shutdown of magnet
  4. If deemed safe/appropriate, attempt to extinguish fire using blue and white fire extinguisher only (MR safe extinguisher is located in the equipment room)
  5. Meet responding personnel at the front door and communicate the dangers of the facility.

MRI Safety

Participants must change into scrubs in order to be scanned.

Warning

Warn of unlikely but possible heating of tattoos or underwire. Check carefully for artifacts in your data before continuing. Artifacts are occasionally caused by underwire, bra clasps, hair ties, nail polish, etc.

Tattoos need to be 30+ days old for approval. The magnetic field can cause blurring of new ink.

Makeup, especially eye makeup and mascara, should be removed before scanning. Makeup removal wipes and nail polish remover are stored in 2-195D.

Once the participant is in the bore, always have them confirm the communication method and squeeze ball are working prior to beginning the scan. Do this every time the table is moved in case the tubes become pinched or dislodged.

Safety incidents should be reported within 24hr to the MIDB Neuroimaging Director (Steve Nelson, smnelson@umn.edu) and the CMRR Safety Officer (Jeramy Kulesa, ande2445@umn.edu): Any problem or event which, in the opinion of the facility or researcher, was unanticipated, reflects new or increased risk to the subjects and was possibly related to research procedures. Serious error or mishap that had the potential to cause an unanticipated problem but failed to do so because of chance or because it was intercepted. Any unplanned or unanticipated event which caused or could have caused personal injury, environmental damage or property loss.

Hearing Protection

Switching currents in the gradient coils for imaging purposes leads to noise development during the MR examination which can exceed 99 dB in the bore.

Danger

It is mandatory for the patient/volunteer and all others who will be present in the magnet room during the scan session to wear hearing protection in the form of earplugs, headphones, or a combination of earplugs and headphones that are provided by the facility. Alternate forms of hearing protection must be approved by the CMRR Safety Committee.

Acceptable forms of hearing protection at 3T are as follows:

  • Earplugs can be used alone.
  • Avotec blue headphones can be used alone.
  • Avotec tubes must be used with earplugs.
  • Siemens headphones must be used in conjunction with another form of hearing protection.
  • Optoacoustics can be used alone only if the system is properly calibrated for noise-cancelling.