Are your Patient Wristbands Safe for MRI Procedures?
Posted by Kate Sparks
We received a report from one of our customers earlier in the year concerning wristband safety and MRI procedures. In summary, a patient at a different hospital was severely injured during an MRI procedure due to the metallic components of the toner on their laser wristband. Apparently the toner, the snug fit of the wristband and the patient's skin perspiration combined to allow a conductive electrical path through the patient's arm. The toner in the laser printer used to produce the wristband contained 40-50% iron oxide.
Most of our customers currently use Zebra Technologies wristbands and thermal label printers. When we alerted Zebra to this potential problem, they confirmed with their suppliers that there are no metals in Zebra wristbands or wristband clips. Zebra also contracted a lab to test against established standards.
“All Zebra Z-Band wristbands and QuickClips have been tested to ASTM Designation: F2503-08 and certified as MRI Safe by the National Science Foundation, Engineering Research Center University of Southern California Institute for Magnetic Resonance Safety, Education, and Research. Patients wearing Zebra Z-Band wristbands do not need to have their wristband removed during an MRI, helping to improve patient safety and reducing costs for the hospital."
Here is a link to the ASTM designation: http://www.astm.org/Standards/F2503.htm
Here is a link to the original report's abstract: http://radiology.rsna.org/content/254/3/846.abstract
Zebra has also posted a nice blog article regarding patient wristbands and MRI safety.
Learn more about Patient Identification Solutions.
What type of wristbands are you using and are they “MRI Safe”?