User Manual

Table Of Contents
ExpressionMR400InstructionsforUseMonitoringECG51
CHAPTER 5
Monitoring ECG
Electrocardiogram(ECG)monitoringinsidetheMRIenvironmentisuniqueandrequires
additionalprecautionstopermitsafepatientprocedures.Itisalwaysimportanttoremember
thattheriskofradiofrequency(RF)heatingiseverpresentwhenanyelectricalconductors(for
example,ECGleadcables)areplacedintheMRsystembore.
Byfollowingtheoperating
precautions,warningsandtheguidelinesbelow,theseriskscanbeminimized.TheECG
parameterisintendedforECGmonitoringmodeandnotdiagnosticECGmonitoring.
WARNINGS
The MR400 is not intended for use with patients using pacemakers or electrical
stimulators.
Arrhythmias, erratic heartbeats, operation of electrical stimulators, pacemakers and
patient motion can result in inaccurate readings. Rate meters may continue to count
pacemaker rates during occurrences of cardiac arrest or some arrhythmias. Do not
rely entirely upon rate meter alarms. If questionable readings are obtained, check the
patient's vital signs by alternate means before administering medication.
CAUTION
Pacer pulses are not specifically rejected by the MR400 and may be treated as part of MRI
gradient noise. Gradient filtering attempts to remove high frequency pulse-shaped waveforms
from the ECG signal which may resemble pacer waveforms, and it is possible that the pacer
waveform may be removed with the gradient noise.
ECG Monitoring Considerations for the MR Environment
MonitoringECGintheMRenvironmentisparticularlychallengingbec ause oftheinherent
distortionoftheECGwaveformcausedbythecombinedelectromagneticfieldsgeneratedbythe
MRIscanner.Inparticular,certainECGinterferenceappearswhenthepatientisplaced insidethe
borebeforescanningbegins.Thesebloodflowinduceddistortions
oftheECGareduetothe
largeamountofbloodmovingthroughthevesselsoftheheart(aorta) . Blood(averygood
electricalconductor)movingthroughthelargemagneticfieldoftheMRproducesanelectrical
potentialthataddstotheECGsignal.Thisinducedelectricalpotentialisseen
primarilyasan
augmentationoftheECGTwaveamplitude,althoughothernonspecificwaveformchangesare
alsoapparentontheECG.SinceanelevatedTwaveorSTsegmentwillbeassociated withtrue
physiologicdisorders,thestaticmagneticfieldinducedECGdistortionsmayprohibiteffective
ECGmonitoringinthe
MRI.Forthisreason,abaselinerecordingoftheECGpriortoslidingthe
patientinsidetheboreoroutsidetheMRmagnetroomwillbenecessary.