ASA issues MRI anesthesia recommendations
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has developed a new practice advisory, Anesthetic Care for MRI, which is published in the March issue of Anesthesiology.
In the advisory, anesthetic care for MRI is defined as moderate sedation, deep sedation and general anesthesia, as well as ventilator or critical care support.
"The purposes of this advisory are to:
"The anesthetic care of patients undergoing MRI procedures has evolved differently across the wide variety of practices based on local facility design, equipment availability and individual preferences", said Mark Singleton, MD, co-chair of the ASA Task Force on Anesthetic Care for MRI. "The significance of this advisory is that it provides common important considerations for every practice."
Primary findings of the advisory are summarized in "advisory statements" focused on the areas of:
"It is crucial that all in the MRI suite, especially anesthesiologists are prepared to administer safe patient care during MRI procedures which are often performed on patients in critical care situations that require special consideration," Singleton said.
The full text of the "Practice Advisory on Anesthetic Care of Magnetic Resonance Imaging" can be found on the website for Anesthesiology as well as on the ASA website.
In the advisory, anesthetic care for MRI is defined as moderate sedation, deep sedation and general anesthesia, as well as ventilator or critical care support.
"The purposes of this advisory are to:
- promote patient and staff safety in the MRI environment,
- prevent the occurrence of MRI-associated accidents,
- promote optimal patient management and reduce adverse patient outcomes associated with MRI,
- identify potential equipment-related hazards in the MRI environment,
- identify limitations of physiologic monitoring capabilities in the MRI environment, and
- identify potential health hazards (e.g., high decibel levels) of the MRI environment," the authors wrote.
"The anesthetic care of patients undergoing MRI procedures has evolved differently across the wide variety of practices based on local facility design, equipment availability and individual preferences", said Mark Singleton, MD, co-chair of the ASA Task Force on Anesthetic Care for MRI. "The significance of this advisory is that it provides common important considerations for every practice."
Primary findings of the advisory are summarized in "advisory statements" focused on the areas of:
- Education
- Screening for anesthetic care providers and ancillary support personnel
- Patient screening, (including patient and equipment-related risks)
- Preparation
- Patient monitoring during MRI
- Post-procedure care
"It is crucial that all in the MRI suite, especially anesthesiologists are prepared to administer safe patient care during MRI procedures which are often performed on patients in critical care situations that require special consideration," Singleton said.
The full text of the "Practice Advisory on Anesthetic Care of Magnetic Resonance Imaging" can be found on the website for Anesthesiology as well as on the ASA website.