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Practical planning to maintain premature infants' safety during magnetic resonance imaging: a systematic review
Lina Merete M Knudsen1, Anne Moen
1Norwegian Neonatal Network, Women and Children Department, Oslo University Hospital HF Rikshospitalet (Ms Knudsen), and Department of Nursing Science, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo (Ms Knudsen and Dr Moen), Norway.
Insights
Ensuring safety for premature infants during MRI requires careful planning. While promising methods exist, further research is needed for conclusive recommendations on incubators, sedation alternatives, and hearing protection.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Medical imaging technology
- Pediatric neurology
Background:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial for diagnosing brain injuries in premature infants.
- MRI necessitates moving vulnerable infants from their controlled environment, posing safety challenges.
- Careful planning and monitoring are essential for safe MRI procedures in premature infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and assess literature on practical planning for premature infant safety during MRI.
- To evaluate existing strategies for maintaining safety standards in this vulnerable population.
- To identify gaps in current research regarding MRI safety for neonates.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases.
- Screening, abstraction, and appraisal of identified research studies and relevant documents.
- Descriptive analysis and synthesis of 13 research studies, 2 quality improvement projects, and 10 other documents.
Main Results:
- Development and testing of various procedures and equipment for premature infant safety during MRI.
- Promising and increasingly consistent results reported in the literature.
- Evidence suggests potential for advanced safety measures, but further validation is required.
Conclusions:
- Current research indicates promising advancements in MRI safety for premature infants.
- More research is needed to establish conclusive recommendations for MRI-compatible incubators.
- Further investigation is required for the "feed-and-sleep" approach and specific noise-cancelling ear protection.
Background:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) makes a significant contribution to diagnose brain injury in premature infants and is a diagnostic procedure that requires the infant to be taken out of the controlled environment established for growth and development. To ensure safe procedures for these vulnerable patients, practical planning and surveillance are paramount.
Purpose:
This systematic review summarizes and evaluates the literature reporting on practical planning to maintain required safety for premature infants undergoing MRI.
Methods:
Literature identified through various search strategies was screened, abstracted, appraised, and synthesized through a descriptive analysis. Thirteen research studies, 2 quality improvement projects, and 10 other documents, including practice guidelines, general reviews and articles, a book chapter, and an editorial article, were retained for in-depth review.
Conclusions:
Various procedures and equipment to ensure the safety of premature infants during MRI have been developed and tested. Although the results are promising and increasingly consistent, our review suggests that more research is needed before conclusive recommendations for the use of magnetic resonance-compatible incubators, the "feed-and-sleep" approach to avoid sedation, or the specific noise-cancelling ear protection for the premature infants' safety during MRI can be established.
