Due to the extreme risks of using high-powered magnets during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), best practices recommend establishing four safety zones around the MRI scanner, with increasing levels of restriction for personnel and screening for metal objects that could cause harm to patients or staff should they enter a strong magnetic field.

A patient came to a neurologist’s office with unusual symptoms requiring further testing. The neurologist ordered a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for testing and completed a paper CSF prioritization worksheet to communicate with the lab which tests were most critical, in case there was not enough CSF for every test.