From the October 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


“People don’t have the money to throw away,” says Mansfield. “They don’t want to put a $1.5 million scanner in and then have to go and replace the shield every time. Now rooms can last for two, three, four machines.”

Long-term relationships
RF shields can last for a few short years, or stay faithful for two decades.
“If you have a good shield that was manufactured correctly and installed correctly, you can use it for 20, 25 years with no problem,” says Kellogg. “Every seven years or so someone might upgrade their magnet, and all you have to do is open up the shielding doors or panels and bring it in.”

Copper is generally recognized as the most durable of the RF shielding options, and soldered or welded shields tend to last longer than any other style shield.

“Most experts agree that a soldered copper shield provides the highest degree of shielding effectiveness, however steel modular shielding and copper modular shielding are quite acceptable as shielding materials as well,” says Corey Hess, sales director at National MRI Shielding.

It’s important to note that while shields can last through several MRI scanner generations, reused shields are not always an ideal choice.

“Unfortunately it usually ends up costing as much or sometimes more to try to recycle an old shield,” says Hess. “Even if one is able to successfully install a used shield at a slightly lower initial cost, most used shielding ends up causing image quality problems down the road which then requires hiring a shielding company to find and repair the leaks.”

If done correctly, however, Michael Profeta, owner of Magnetic Resonance Technology, Inc., argues that recycled shields can be a useful way to save money.

“Panelized systems offer the ability to harvest the shield and sell it, or move it to another location,” says Profeta. “In some cases the floor may not be able to be relocated, but the disassembly process gives you the opportunity to clean all the seams and reassemble it tightly in the new location, giving it new life.”

A stitch in time saves nine
Proper RF shield installation is the best way to prevent problems down the line. Issues can arise especially when putting in the room’s finishing touches.

In order to install studwork and make connections for sprinklers, gas lines and electricity the shield has to be pierced, says Michael Krachon, director of shielding company Imedco. Then, a copper fastener or screw seals the small hole made by the piercing. If the hole is overdrilled, the fastener no longer makes a solid connection with the surface of the shell, creating a gap that radio signals can pass through.

October 2013 Magazine

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