MRI Safety Navigator Is Now Public — Here’s How to Use It
MRI Safety Navigator Is Now Public — Here’s How to Use It
MRI Safety Navigator now has a publicly accessible home on the web.
The idea behind the project has remained straightforward from the beginning:
MRI safety information should not just be searchable. It should be organized into a workflow that helps you see what is known, what still needs verification, and where the evidence came from.
MRI technologists have always had access to information. The harder problem is assembling the right information for the exact implant or device in front of you.
This Is More Than an Implant Search Box
When a patient arrives with an implant, the real question is rarely just, “Can this patient have an MRI?”
The actual workflow is much more specific. You may need to determine:
- Who manufactured the device?
- What is the exact model?
- Is there a catalog or reference number?
- Is a UDI or DI available?
- Is the device MR Safe, MR Conditional, or MR Unsafe?
- Which field strengths are permitted?
- What SAR or B1+rms limits apply?
- Are there spatial-gradient restrictions?
- Is there a scan-duration limit?
- Are particular coils required or prohibited?
- Does patient position matter?
- Are there additional implanted components?
- Is the documentation current?
- What information is still missing?
That is why I called this a Navigator. The goal is not simply to produce a search result. The goal is to help navigate the research.
How to Use MRI Safety Navigator
Step 1 — Start With the Best Device Information You Have
Before searching, collect as much identifying information as possible. That may come from an implant card, operative notes, the electronic medical record, manufacturer documentation, patient paperwork, or previous MRI safety documentation.
The most useful identifiers include manufacturer, model, catalog/reference number, UDI, and DI. The more precise the identification, the stronger the rest of the safety workflow becomes.
Step 2 — Identify the Exact Device
Use the device information to narrow the result as much as possible. Similar-looking product names do not necessarily share the same MRI conditions.
You do not want: “This looks like the right device.”
You want: “This manufacturer, model, and identifier correspond to this exact device.”
Step 3 — Review the MR Labeling
Once the device is identified, determine its MRI classification: MR Safe, MR Conditional, or MR Unsafe.
MRI Safety Navigator is particularly useful with MR Conditional devices because that classification is not a simple green light. It is a set of instructions.
MR Conditional Does Not Mean “MRI Approved”
If a device is MR Conditional, you still need to determine the conditions.
| Condition | What You May Need to Verify |
|---|---|
| Field strength | 1.5T, 3T, or another specified field |
| SAR | Whole-body or local SAR limits |
| B1+rms | RF exposure restrictions |
| Spatial gradient | Maximum permitted gradient |
| Operating mode | Normal vs. First Level Controlled |
| Coils | Transmit/receive restrictions |
| Patient position | Supine, positioning, landmark limitations |
| Scan duration | Maximum continuous scan or time limits |
| Implant timing | Waiting period following implantation |
| Device configuration | Leads, extensions, accessories, combinations |
The correct question is not “Is this MR Conditional?” It is “Can we meet every applicable condition for this specific device, patient, scanner, and examination?”
Step 4 — Check the Conditions Against Your Planned Exam
Compare the manufacturer’s conditions with the scanner and examination you are actually planning. If a device allows 1.5T only and the exam is scheduled on a 3T scanner, you have an immediate mismatch. If the manufacturer specifies SAR, coil, position, or time limits, those become part of the plan.
Step 5 — Review the Risk Flags
Examples may include unknown leads, abandoned leads, multiple implanted components, unclear model number, incomplete documentation, conflicting information, artifact concerns, heating concerns, positioning restrictions, or unusual device combinations.
A risk flag is not automatically a denial. It means there is something here that needs to be resolved before proceeding.
Step 6 — Open and Verify the Source Documentation
The tool should point you toward evidence, not replace the evidence. Whenever possible, review the underlying manufacturer documentation and confirm it applies to the exact model you identified.
Step 7 — Look at What Is Still Missing
A useful safety system should be capable of telling you: we do not have enough information yet.
✅ Manufacturer confirmed
✅ Device model confirmed
✅ MR Conditional labeling confirmed
✅ SAR requirement located
❌ Lead model unknown
❌ Implant configuration not confirmed
That should not magically become PROCEED. The unresolved items are the result. They tell you exactly what needs to happen next.
Step 8 — Use Decision Support as a Summary, Not an Authority
The final section of the workflow helps bring the information together: device identification, source documentation, MR conditions, scanner compatibility, unresolved risk flags, and remaining verification.
This is decision support. It is not a replacement for professional judgment.
Why I Built It This Way
After more than two decades working around MRI, one problem keeps appearing: information is scattered.
The challenge is not simply retrieving information. The challenge is maintaining the chain between:
DEVICE → SOURCE → CONDITIONS → EXAM → DECISION
MRI Safety Navigator attempts to make that chain visible.
Where AI Fits — And Where It Doesn’t
AI can help extract identifiers, find important sections of long PDFs, organize scan conditions, summarize technical documentation, compare identifiers, flag missing fields, and build structured checklists.
But an AI-generated sentence saying “This device is safe for MRI” is not sufficient evidence.
AI can organize the investigation. Evidence has to support the conclusion.
Important Safety Note
MRI Safety Navigator is an informational and workflow-support tool.
It does not replace manufacturer labeling, current device instructions, institutional MRI safety policies, physician or radiologist consultation, MR Medical Director / MR Safety Officer review where required, or professional clinical judgment.
If the device cannot be confidently identified or the required conditions cannot be confirmed, the uncertainty itself must be resolved before proceeding.
MRI Safety Navigator Is Now Public
The biggest change today is simple: you no longer need access to my local development environment to see the project.
I also have an earlier walkthrough explaining the background and first version of the workflow:
Read the original MRI Safety Navigator guide
The public site gives us something even more valuable now: real-world feedback.
If you work in MRI, I am particularly interested in where the workflow helps—and where it gets in the way. What information do you usually have when an implant problem reaches your desk? What takes the most time? What should be visible immediately? What should never be automated?
The Bigger Idea
MRI Safety Navigator is ultimately an experiment in a larger concept:
Can we build AI-assisted clinical workflow tools that make professionals faster without asking them to surrender judgment to the AI?
I think the answer can be yes—but only if we build them differently.
Not: AI gives answer → human trusts answer
Instead: AI organizes evidence → human sees evidence → workflow exposes uncertainty → professional makes decision
That is a much more interesting future.
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