How Safe Are MRI Machines?

In general, MRI procedures are very safe and present very little threat to anyone inside.  Despite the fact that it uses electromagnetic waves and very strong magnetic fields, the patient should not feel any pain.  However, there are many precautions that must be taken to ensure that there are no MRI side effects.  It is still a very powerful machine, so any carelessness that occurs can lead to very bad scenarios.

MRI Safety

The first cause for concern involves bringing anything metallic near the machine.  The magnetic field will pull it in with great force and cause it to accelerate to high speeds.  As one could imagine, getting in the middle of this would be very dangerous.  Be sure to remove all metal objects, including rings, necklaces, bracelets and watches.  You also do not want to be wearing clothes that might contain metal parts such as pants accessories or decorations, belt buckles and cufflinks.  Braces are usually NOT a problem, contrary to popular belief, but you may want to ask your technician for an official answer.

Secondly, you must be aware of any implants in your body as well.  If it can be manipulated with magnetism, it is possible that it can be jostled around or completely removed from the body.  Anyone that may have sustained an injury and contain traces of metal fragments in them, such as a nail or bullet, should also notify the MRI technician.  They will evaluate how severe a threat that any implants can be.

Implants such as hearing aids and pacemakers might also pose a problem.  If affected, they can be jostled around.  There is a chance that the electromagnetic waves can affect or damage these types of implants.  There are also rare cases where they can be heat up quickly and burn the patient.  Fortunately, these MRI side effects are quite unusual – the most common effect is a distortion of the scanned images.

For the patient, the main cause for concern is to not bring anything that can be manipulated by the strong magnetic fields or radio frequency waves near the MRI coils.  Avoid wearing any metallic objects, or if you must wear accessories such as jewelry, remove them prior to your test.  Always notify the technician and doctor of any objects inside your body to properly assess if it will be problematic.

All in all, the procedure is very safe and painless.  The most common MRI side effects that one might endure are a result of discomfort.