Who would need anaesthetic during MRI scans?
High-acuity patients and, faced with confinement in a narrow MRI scanner, claustrophobic patients. Some of the latter, Stephan Hinz pointed out, only need reassurance and mild sedation (Medizolam), whilst others need more complex anaesthetic procedures, e.g. classic volume-controlled ventilation. Sedation is also needed for neonates and older children treated by paediatricians, said Prof. Klotz. ‘For these we begin with Sevoflurane during induction and move on to intravenous or balanced anaesthesia. For the recovery phase we prefer Sevoflurane anaesthesia. Neonates and children should be ventilated during anaesthesia by pressure-controlled modes. Neonates weighing less than three kilograms require special attention and qualified equipment. The anaesthesia device currently installed in our MRI suite can only ventilate patients weighing more than five kilograms and does not have compliance compensation, which is advisable. And hand-bagging this very tiny patient through three metre-long
