MRI set-up and safety

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a safe diagnostic tool, with several hundred millions of safe diagnostic studies performed to date. However, there have been at least 15 published cases of patient deaths associated with MRI scanning: ten patients with implanted pacemakers, two patients with an insulin pump, one patient with a neurostimulator, one patient with an aneurysm clip, and one child killed by an oxygen tank. Additionally, hundreds of cases of severe burns or injuries due to ferromagnetic projectiles have also been reported. The main sources of all these risks are the electromagnetic fields of the MRI scanner used to create the images.