System and method for increased safety of an interventional rampable magnet

A method for managing safety of an interventional MRI system having a rampable main magnet, the method comprising the steps of:

• linking a safety device to a power control of the rampable main magnet, the power control being configured to ramp the main magnet on and off;
• automatically implementing, by the safety device, a first safety procedure when the power control ramps the main magnet on;
• and
• automatically implementing, by the safety device, a second safety procedure when the power control ramps the main magnet off;
• wherein the first safety procedure and the second safety procedure provide different levels of access restriction to the MRI room.

An interoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising:

• a rampable main magnet housed in a magnet housing within an operating room;
• a power control configured to ramp the main magnet between an on state generating a magnetic field and an off state in which no magnetic field is generated;
• a console located in the operating room;
• and
• a safety module in communication with the power control and the console, the safety module configured to:
• prevent ramping of the main magnet to the on state unless an authenticated user is logged into the console;
• and
• implement at least one environmental safety measure in the operating room in response to the power control transitioning the main magnet between the on state and the off state.