Dripped to Death; An Unusual MRI Nightmare
How is it possible that one healthcare facility could experience the same costly error twice? Read on to learn from one of our customer’s mistakes.
MXR Imaging installed an MRI imaging system in a healthcare facility in Florida. MRI systems are notoriously environmentally sensitive, and that’s even more critical in steamy Florida. MXR Imaging made several imaging-based facility recommendations to this customer during their installation period, but unfortunately, they were not fully implemented. Over time, condensation from the building's air conditioner repeatedly dripped on the MRI system cabinets, which eventually caused its components to short out; this ended up being a six-figure mistake. Except shockingly, this didn’t happen just once — it happened twice!
A Precarious Medical Imaging Layout
The customer’s air conditioning system was built into the ceiling and was positioned directly above their imaging room, particularly their MRI. This layout set off a variety of red flags for the MXR Imaging team who originally installed the MRI unit. While with our expertise we would have much preferred moving the cooling system to literally anywhere else, that wasn’t an option for this customer. Therefore instead, we offered a series of mitigating recommendations that we felt any HVAC contractor could implement.
Addressing Unheeded MRI Maintenance Advice
Sadly, the customer did not fully implement our recommendations and the condensation ultimately brought down the MRI unit. Condensation from the facility's air conditioning system repeatedly dripped on the MRI system cabinets over time, which eventually caused its components to short-out. MRI machine repairs like this are expensive. Our initial focus was to try to identify which parts were damaged, but we concluded that the cost in labor and amount of downtime to isolate the problem would be more expensive than just replacing the whole cabinet; that’s what we did.
The good news was that MXR Imaging had the cabinet they needed in stock. However, the bad news was that it took us 10 full days to get the customer up and running again. The cabinet they needed is a 2600-pound system that requires professional riggers to place the cabinet in the equipment room. MXR Imaging moved at lightning speed and shipped a unit directly from our New Jersey warehouse. This installation time frame obviously caused serious disruptive downtime to the practice, but the situation could have been much worse.
Once the customer's imaging department was operational again, we reiterated our recommendation of installing a condensation catch tray to channel the water elsewhere, which was a simple HVAC project. Fortunately, this time the customer took our advice.
Accidental Repeated Imaging Room Neglect
Unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story. Years went by without a problem for this customer before our phone rang again. When it did, the customer informed us that, once again, their system was down. We quickly determined that, unfortunately the failure was caused by exactly the same problem in a different manner. When we removed the ceiling tiles to inspect their condensation tray, it was obvious that nobody had maintained the condensation system. The condensation tray is designed to sit at an angle, so that the liquid drains off through a tube. Condensation is calcium-rich and that calcium can build up over time. After going years without any annual HVAC preventative maintenance, the tube became clogged with calcium, and water dripped onto their MRI equipment again!
MXR Imaging again came to the rescue. We performed the exact same recovery strategy, except this time the customer installed a $50 water sensor from a local home improvement store to provide advance notice of any future drip issues.
Avoid Costly Downtime With Imaging System Maintenance
The moral of the story is that preventative maintenance for your imaging systems and all supporting infrastructure is critical to staying online and avoiding six-figure incidents. Nobody wants this to even happen once, let alone twice!
MXR Imaging is the nation’s largest independent distributor of medical imaging equipment. MXR Imaging has been in business since the 1950s. Today’s product line includes everything from X-Ray and ultrasound products, all the way up to CT and MRI systems. MXR Imaging gives customers a wide range of purchase options across the dozens of brands it carries. MXR Imaging takes the risk out of imaging systems by offering design, staging, support, and repair services from coast to coast throughout your equipment's lifecycle.
Don't let this be you! Contact MXR Imaging today to learn more about our MRI full-service and preventative maintenance solutions.
