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3 Common Reasons MRI Coils Prematurely Fail

Feb 15, 2021 | Articles, MR Coil

If you were to ask any medical establishment manager or professional about their biggest nightmare or most dreaded experience, they’d most likely say three words: MRI Coil Failure.

Although it may seem like such an isolated case at first, experiencing a problem with this machine is something that can happen if you aren’t careful or aware of what you should avoid. Unfortunately, clinics, hospitals, and urgent care centers end up having to cancel their procedures and rebook appointments after overlooking the possibility of their machine’s coils failing on them. 

Considering that MRI breakdowns are not only costly but also troublesome, you can expect a failure in a part that’s as vital as the coil to be just as challenging to deal with. 

With lives on the line, diagnoses to make, and treatments to administer each day, things can get even worse when the problem happens, and you end up not knowing what to do. However, dealing with a failed coil shouldn’t mean the end of the world because getting a repair done ASAP (or preventing the need to do so) simply involves knowing why such problems happen!

 

Why do MRI coils fail?

Generally speaking, most—if not all—cases of MRI coil failures are rooted in three specific reasons that are surprisingly more common than people expect: 

 

Reason #1: Frequent usage

Given that MRI coils come fresh from the factory with an expected usage life based on research and trials, it’s reasonable to expect that coil failures can happen if you use your machine often.

Not to be confused with a set duration based on time (or shelf-life), a usage life corresponds to just how often a piece of equipment is used. In the case of coils, the main usage of measurement is in images taken. If your clinic or hospital serves at least a few dozen (or hundred) patients that need MRI scans daily, then you’ll need to schedule for a coil replacement from Direct Med Parts right away! 

 

Reason #2: Improper usage

Like any delicate part or piece of equipment, MRI coils are susceptible to experiencing various types of stress that take a toll on their lifespan, and improper usage is the most severe of the bunch. 

When you improperly use your MRI scanner, you shorten your coils’ lifespan because they’re subject to certain conditions that they’re not built for. By failing to warm the machine up or shutting it off abruptly, you’re doing the machine equivalent of burning out your car’s tire’s non-stop in a sense where doing it consistently will cause premature failure!

 

Reason #3: Untrustworthy parts

Another common reason hospitals and clinics end up experiencing equipment failure when treating clients is that they unknowingly put low-quality parts or replacements in their MRI scanners.

Compared to genuine parts, low-quality coils aren’t capable of withstanding regular loads and conditions that come with proper usage, leading to a full breakdown that is unexpected and troublesome. Thankfully, you can avoid experiencing this problem with your machine by ordering proper replacements from a trusted supplier like Direct Med Parts during your next servicing session!

 

Conclusion

As you work and tend to your patients, it’s important to ensure that your MRI scanner is in tip-top shape, and this responsibility also involves knowing about how its coils can fail. Through this guide’s help, you can be more mindful of the different problems that you’ll potentially encounter with the machine so that unwanted breakdowns or delays are avoided! 

We’re a medical parts supplier in the United States that helps clinics with our mechanical MRI coil repair. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help!

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