For 20+ years, Matt has been PDC’s fearless RF Shielding leader, employing his experience and breadth of knowledge in RF and magnetic shielding to ensure the success of every project and PDC’s reputation as a trusted shielding company.
Matt’s responsibilities include management oversight of the Radio Frequency and Magnetic Shielding division at PDC. This includes design/build shielding proposals, bid proposals, design and production of shielding components, installation drawings in Revit or AutoCAD, project management, RF testing and new product development.
Matt’s also a man of few words, but if you have an RF question, he is your guy. To share a little of his insight, here is a recent Q&A with Matt below!
DM: “How does one determine if an MRI Shield needs repairs versus needs replacing?”
MB: “The first consideration is age of the MRI Shield and its performance history. If the shield is more than 10 years old, and it has a history of performance issues or water damage, replacement is a good idea. Conducting an RF integrity test will help determine how the current RF enclosure is performing. If the test indicates that the room is not performing to specification, but the location of the RF leaks can be identified, the majority of the time the MRI Shielding is repaired and reused. If the leaks cannot be located or the repair cost is too high, a new MRI Shield installation is advisable.”
DM: “After an MRI Shield is complete and the scanner is ramped up, is there preventative maintenance a facility can perform to maximize the MRI Shield’s longevity?”
MB: “Generally, the only preventative maintenance needed would be for the MRI door. MRI doors do require periodic cleaning, adjustment and gasket replacement to maintain the specified performance. If the door has an automatic feature that uses compressed air, the air delivery system will require periodic preventative maintenance.”
DM: “Are there aspects of the planning process for a new MRI Shield that you wish facilities were better prepared for?”
MB: “Today, most MRI installations include some patient satisfaction elements. These require MRI filters and can be problematic if they are not all compatible. My suggestion is to identify the features and options that will be included in the MRI scan room. Next, interview MRI Shielding companies early in the design process.
Some shielding companies offer a basic MRI Shield only. Other companies, like PDC, offer MRI Shielding and patient experience products, including: functional MRI LED lighting, RGB accent lights, image ceilings, in-bore video, audio, automatic MRI doors, glass MRI doors, switchable privacy glass for doors and MRI viewing window and integrated controls. Plus we offer specialty RF filters to ensure everything functions properly without creating EMI interference. All of these features can also be integrated with white functional LED lighting to create one-touch themes. This reduces technologist work flow, while reducing patient anxiety.
If you plan a basic scan room, a basic MRI Shield is adequate. However, if you plan to add patient experience products, it’s best to purchase everything from the MRI Shielding company. This ensures single-source responsibility for compliance with RF and EMI requirements.”
Want more? Find the full Q&A here!
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