Cardiac MRI
You may be asked to wait until the scanner is ready for you. It’s important that you or your parent/carer does not have any metal in or on body. Please let your doctor know if that is the case. 1 parent or carer can come into the room with you, sit next to or behind you You will then be measured and be asked to wear a gown. Girls: You can wear a sports bra with no metal if you want. In the room the MRI machine looks like a giant polo mint/tunnel.
You will need to lie still in the middle of the polo for 30-60 minutes, during the scan. The machine does not touch or hurt you. The MRI machine will be very noisy and will sound like clanging going off and on again, a bit like loud roadworks. To protect ourears everyone in the room will wear headphones. While lying still, you can also listen to music but you will still be able to hear the sounds of the machine in the background. You will be asked to have a cover/blanket over your body, this will not hurt but it may be a little heavy. This is the camera that we use to take pictures.
We will also ask your child to hold their breath to take clear pictures. When breathing, the heart moves in the chest, which gives us blurry pictures (like when you try to take pictures of someone jumping on the trampoline).
After the scan you can go home!!
Ask your parents to help you to prepare by:
➢ Practice laying still for up at least 30 minutes listening to music. ➢ Practice holding their breath. How many seconds can you manage? At least 6 sec would be great. ➢ Put some sheets on your chest while you practice. ➢ Buy/borrow a tunnel to practise in. ➢ Practise as much as possible! ➢ Websites you can look at: • LCHTV - look at an MRI experience and other films on this page • MRI experience app children (noises the machine will make)
https://www.siemens• healthineers.com/en-uk/magnetic-resonance-imaging/mri-scan-experience