MRI Magnets and How They Operate

The MRI lets medical professionals see an image of internal structures. Before 1977, when the first human MRI was performed, surgery was the only way to visualize internal body structures. The first MRI back then took 5 hours to produce just one very unclear picture. Since that time, vast improvements in technology have resulted in MRI scans that take 60 to 90 minutes and result in very high-quality images.

Though very safe, MRI’s are not totally safe for all individuals. The “magnetic” part of the name is what allows the representation to be created. The MRI magnet relies on a strong magnetic field to produce the image. This magnetic field is also the source of the danger. Any metal that contains iron can be attracted to the MRI magnet. Therefore, items that can be problematic or dangerous include: jewelry, pacemakers, dental implants, paperclips, pens, keys, or other small objects. These objects can be forcibly pulled out of pockets and travel at high rates of speed into the MRI magnet core of the MRI unit. This poses a great risk for the patient being scanned. Due to this, the MRI technicians are very meticulous about determining if a patient has any metal in or on their bodies. Some people with any sort of internal metal implant may be denied an MRI, due to a possible threat from the high magnetic field.

The magnetic field used in an MRI is expressed in two comparative values: Tesla and gauss. One Tesla is equivalent to 20,000 gauss. The magnetic field produced by the earth is 0.5 gauss. The most common MRI magnets used today are 0.5 Tesla to 2.0 Tesla (magnets greater than 2 Tesla have not been approved for human use, but are used in research). This means that the magnetic field used by a typical MRI is approximately 40,000 times stronger than the gravitational field of the earth.

This large and powerful magnetic field is why MRI technicians carefully control who and what enter the MRI scanner suite.

The most common MRI magnets used in contemporary scanners are called superconducting magnets. This is a typical resistive MRI magnet, composed of coils or windings of wire, through which a current of electricity is passed. The MRI magnet has a significant distinctiveness: the coiled wire is bathed in a solution of liquid helium. Helium becomes a liquid at 452.4° below zero. This extremely low temperature lowers the electrical resistance of the wire to near zero, allowing relatively small amounts of power to create the large magnetic field.

In general, two types of MRI magnets make up the scanner. The superconducting magnet produces a very large magnetic field of uniform strength and stability. Smaller gradient MRI magnets are used to create small variations in the magnetic field. It is the interaction of these two magnetic fields that allows an image to be produced. A complex and powerful computer system interprets the interaction of these magnetic fields, to produce the viewable image that is the inside of your body.

MRI magnets of all kinds can be found in the MedWOW marketplace, as well as all types of imaging equipment systems and parts. MedWOW is committed to providing medical professionals around the world with secure alternatives to finding replacement parts that match their systems and at competitive prices.

Some of the MRI magnets and MRI magnet replacement parts that can be found on MedWOW include: GE Healthcare Signa Horizon 1.0T Magnet Enclosure #450009, Siemens Mobile MAGNETOM Impact SYPHON MAGNET END #1644728, GE Healthcare Signa Horizon LX 1.5T Magnet Encloser Power Supply and many more examples.

The Multiple Values of Diagnostic Ultrasound Scanning

Diagnostic ultrasound is a scan used to demonstrate internal body structures. It works by emitting high-frequency sound waves, directed at the tissue being examined, and recording the reflected sound or in professional terms, echoes to produce an analytic 2-, 3- or 4-dimensional image.

The diagnostic ultrasound scan is non-invasive and some of the standard reasons for ultrasound scanning include investigations of the abdominal and pelvic organs, musculoskeletal and vascular systems and to check fetal development during pregnancy.

The diagnostic ultrasound scan emits high-frequency sound waves, directed at the internal body part being examined. The reflected sounds (echoes) are recorded to generate an image that can be viewed on a monitor. The sound waves are emitted and received from a small, hand-held diagnostic ultrasound part probe. As the high frequency sound cannot be detected by the human ear, it is called ultrasound.

In general, a diagnostic ultrasound scan is a non-invasive procedure. However, some diagnostic ultrasound scans are done with a special probe that is inserted into the vagina (for special obstetric or pelvic examinations), the rectum (for special prostate examinations) or the esophagus (for to examine the heart). In addition, diagnostic ultrasound scanning may be used to monitor and guide invasive procedures, including breast or thyroid biopsy procedures.

There are many uses for diagnostic ultrasound including:

• Abdominal diagnostic ultrasound scan – may be used to investigate abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, abnormal sounds and lumps. Structures that may be examined include the gallbladder, bile ducts, liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and large blood vessels. Structures that contain air (such as the stomach and bowels) can’t be examined easily by diagnostic ultrasound, because air prevents the transfer of sound waves produced by the scanner.
• Pelvic scan – may be performed if a woman is suffering pelvic pain or has abnormal periods, fibroids, cysts or other conditions associated with the female reproductive system.
• Pregnancy scan – used to check for fetal abnormalities (including growth abnormalities, Downs Syndrom or diseases such as spina bifida), check the age and position of the fetus, and monitor fetal growth and development. A diagnostic ultrasound scan during pregnancy is now considered routine in most parts of the world.
• Other uses of diagnostic ultrasound scan – musculoskeletal scans (to check regions like shoulder, hip and elbow), breast scans (for example, to further investigate an abnormality picked up by physical examination or mammogram) and a scan of the eye (to check its internal structures). A special type of diagnostic ultrasound scan, called a ‘Doppler ultrasound’, is sometimes used to detect the speed and direction of blood flow in certain regions of the body, including neck arteries and leg veins.

MedWOW, the multilingual global medical equipment platform, offers a a huge selection of thousands of both new and used diagnostic ultrasound scanners for sale from inventories all over the world. MedWOW currently offers diagnostic ultrasound scanners manufactured by Acoustic Imaging, Acuson, Agilent, Aloka, Alpinion, Ardent Sound, ARI, ATL, Biosound Esaote, BK Medical, Bruel & Kjaer, Carewell, Corometrics, Diasonics Vingmed, Dornier MedTech, Edan, EMP, Esaote, Fukuda Denshi, GE Healthcare, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, Honda, Kontron Medical, Kranzbuehler, Kretz, Lead Medi Tech, Medison, Mindray, Mochida, and Zonare Medical Systems.

Not only that, if you are looking for diagnostic ultrasound parts, MedWOW can find almost any diagnostic ultrasound part in existence as they represent an inventory of almost 10,000 from manufacturers all over the world from 1990-present, so what you need is likely among their comprehensive listings.

If there is a particular diagnostic ultrasound part that you can’t find in MedWOW’s representative inventories, you can post a request or take advantage of any of MedWOW’s location services.

Understanding Cath Labs and Cat Lab Parts

Cardiac catheterization is a universal procedure used to diagnose and treat a broad range of heart problems in children and adults. Often, the best repair of heart problems that once required open-heart surgery can now be provided in a cardiac catheterization laboratory, also known as cath lab.

The cath lab is outfitted with digital imaging equipment and computers for fluoroscopy and cineangiogram (movies of the heart) that allow for precise assessment of heart problems. A diagnostic cardiac catheterization provides information that assists cardiologists and cardiac surgeons in treating patients with heart defects. An interventional catheterization can provide a non-surgical treatment of a congenital or acquired cardiovascular disorder.

Cardiac cath labs are comprised of several types of cath lab parts with imaging equipment at the foundation. An early decision regarding this equipment and cath lab parts is necessary to allow the medical facility planners to best make use the system’s specifics in the procedure room layout. The facility should select cath lab equipment based on population needs (current and long term) and physician/staff preferences, while still keeping in mind the hospital’s budget.

Cardiac imaging systems typically have a smaller image intensifier cath lab part size to provide a more concentrated area of focus. If the procedure room will also be used for peripheral studies, consider a dual intensifier size system that will allow for larger areas of focus. If peripheral work is to be done in this setting, the C-arm cath lab part should allow for full table panning to include the legs.

Flat panel cath lab part technology is now available and becoming more common. Conventional digital imaging uses a fluoroscopic imaging chain including an analog image intensifier, while flat panel imaging converts the x-ray signals into digital images. Flat panel cath lab part technology reduces the radiation dose required for imaging.

Rotational angiography, which allows for 3-D imaging of the arteries, is another cath lab part equipment option offered by most of the major manufacturers.

Make sure that the table, another important cath lab part, has a weight capacity as high as possible. Most vendors can offer a table with a capacity of up to 450 pounds. To allow for stretcher positioning, the table should also be able to rotate sideways a minimum of ninety degrees. Cath lab part tables may be floor or ceiling-mounted and are generally selected as to what is available from a particular manufacturers and what is required by the room’s physical limitations.

Standard cath lab part equipment options that should be packaged with the imaging equipment include:

• Table accessories such as arm boards and extenders
• Overhead and table lead shielding
• Overhead surgical light
• The power injector