Radio Frequency Fields and RF Coils
Under normal operation conditions no risk to the operator arises from the usage of Bruker RF Coils and accessories. Nevertheless, the following safety aspects need to be considered.
Exposure of tissue to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields generated by the RF Coils can cause significant tissue heating.
RF coils and accessories that are not tested and released by Bruker for compatibility with the MR instrument bear a potential risk.
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Risk of burns RF power deposition in tissue (specific absorption rate) or touching RF contacts can lead to local burns while the MR instrument is scanning. - •
- Do not approach, touch or enter with your extremities the RF Coil while scanning.
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- Do not use RF Coils with damaged housing or damaged cables.
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- Do not remove covers from RF Coils.
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- Do not disconnect or remove RF Coils while scanning.
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Risk to damage RF Coils RF Coils are sensitive, mainly to mechanical shocks. - •
- Only trained people are allowed to handle RF Coils.
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- Handle RF Coils with great care.
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- Avoid mechanical shocks to the housing.
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- Do not overwind the tuning or matching rods.
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- Do not use RF Coils in different positions or with different loadings than intended.
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Risk to damage receive-only coils Receive-only coils that are not correctly connected to the socket(s) or coils that are used with wrong coil configuration are possibly not detuned while the transmission coil is in operation. They absorb large portions of the transmission coil's RF power and may get damaged. - •
- Ensure that coils inside the transmission coil are correctly connected to the socket.
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- Ensure that the correct coil configuration is selected.
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Electromagnetic Interference / Risk to Damage Electronic Devices / EMC compliance. The application of strong RF pulses might lead to unwanted interference with or physical damage of electronic devices in a common electromagnetic environment. The Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) standard may be violated. - •
- To avoid such situations, the instrument must be used under the Normal Operating Conditions as defined in the System Owner Manual.
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- While scanning, all doors of the instrument, all doors of the cabinets, the cover of the animal transport system or the Faraday cage (where applicable) must be closed. Corresponding sealing must be regularly maintained.
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Harm to the animal by increased body temperature The maximum allowed RF power limit of a RF Coil is a technical limitation of the coil and might be considerable higher than the maximum RF deposition dose that can be applied to living samples (specific absorption rate – SAR). - •
- Bruker recommends to use an animal monitoring system to monitor vital signs (for example heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, …).
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