Patient Acoustic Interface • Part No. PAI

• The type of music selected by the technologist is usually based on the patient's music preferences
• The audio goes from an amplifier near the operator console to a connector panel (RF penetration panel) in the computer room
• Coaxial cables carry the audio from the connector panel down to the patient acoustic interface in the scan room
• The coaxial cables connect to two BNC connectors going into the patient acoustic interface
• The PAI is typically positioned on the floor beside the patient table at the front of the magnet
• The electronic audio is converted to pneumatic sound and driven through twin vinyl tubes going to the patient headphones
• The twin vinyl tubes deliver the LEFT and RIGHT stereo audio channels that enable the patients to get a feeling of spaciousness, being surrounded by true stereophonic sound
• MRI systems can not use wired headphones or earphones for several reasons
  • The metal parts inside the headphone might distort the images or cause artifacts that would make the resulting images non-diagnostic
  • Conventional earphones and headphones operate using a magnetic field to move a small diaphragm to produce sound, and it is unlikely that those kinds of headphones could function inside the very high magnetic fields of the MRI system
  • The wires going into the scan room must be shielded so they do not introduce noise into the scan room, because the best diagnostic images are produced by MRI scanners with the highest signal-to-noise ratio and that is why we offer special RFI Filtered BNC Connector Inserts to prevent any noise from the sound system inside the scan room
• MRI headphones must be made completely from inert plastic materials that will not distort the images or interfere with the diagnostic capabilities of the MRI scanner
• The patient acoustic interface box is what we use to convert the electronic audio to air-driven sound and it is positioned away from the patient, so it can't cause distortion or introduce any kind of noise in the MRI scans
• Our PAI design delivers phenomenal sound from two specially made transducers located inside the acrylic box
• The patients hear true stereo sound and that sound separation imparts a feeling of spaciousness that helps patients overcome claustrophobia
• NOTE: Music systems with Mono sound from only one audio channel may not help to overcome claustrophobia and they will only serve to entertain the patients, which is why you are getting more for your money whey you buy a Scan Sound stereo system
• We recommend keeping the vinyl tubing from the PAI to the headphones as short as possible to deliver the best sound quality
• The patient acoustic interface (PAI) is positioned in the scan room on the floor near the front of the MRI magnet so the tubing distance is kept as short as possible and the PAI is out of the way
• CLICK HERE to see the acoustic headphones that are compatible with our Scan Sound PAI
• Each of our acoustic headphones have twin barbed modular plugs that plug into two 1/4 inch ID vinyl tubes
• The vinyl tubing connected to the PAI dimensions are ³/₈ inch OD and ¹/₄ inch ID
• PAI Dimensions: 12 ⁵/₈ x 6 x 6 inches
• Weight: 15 lbs
• Impedance: 8 ohms per channel
• Warranty: 1-Year Limited Warranty