How to Quiet a Noisy MRI Scanner: Improving Patient Comfort and Hospital Environments

Posted by Acoustical Surfaces on 11/03/2025 6:55 pm | Leave a Comment

Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a marvel of diagnostic medicine. But the characteristic knocking, tapping, and thumping sounds during a scan are more than just an annoyance–they can undermine patient comfort, raise anxiety, complicate communication, and even reduce throughput in busy radiology departments. In this article, we will explore how hospitals can reduce MRI noise through safe, non-intrusive acoustic treatments–improving patient comfort and creating better hospital environments without altering the MRI hardware itself. Successful noise control starts with thoughtful MRI room design–how surfaces, barriers, and equipment are arranged to manage both sound reflection and vibration before problems arise.

Table of Contents

Understanding MRI Noise and Its Impact

MRI scanners operate in a uniquely challenging acoustic environment. The strong magnetic fields and rapid electrical pulses needed for imaging also generate significant mechanical vibration and airborne sound. For patients, this can make a scan feel overwhelming; for staff, it can make communication and workflow harder than it needs to be. Understanding the nature of MRI noise is the first step toward managing it effectively and safely.

Why MRI Machines are Loud

MRI machines generate their loud acoustic output primarily because of rapid gradient coil switching in the presence of strong magnetic fields. The Lorentz forces acting on the gradient coils cause brief vibrations that launch sound waves into the surrounding structure. Especially in echo-planar imaging (EPI) and fast sequences, the transitions are swift and recurrent, producing peaks often in the range of 80-120 decibels or higher.

Moreover, small changes in timing or sequence design can substantially alter the acoustic signature. For example, recent work shows subtle timing shifts in EPI can change mechanical resonance effects and reduce acoustic energy by large factors.

Effects on Patient Comfort

For patients, noisy MRI scanners are more than just disruptive:

Many experience stress, anxiety, or even claustrophobia exacerbated by the sudden, loud sounds.
Communication with technologists becomes harder–the patient may misunderstand instructions or feel isolated.
Even with ear protection, short exposures near the upper dB range may lead to temporary threshold shifts (hearing dampening), tinnitus, or discomfort.

In some cases, hearing protection is insufficient or not worn optimally, increasing patient risk in repeated scans.

Why Hospitals Should Care

Reducing MRI noise is not just about patient-facing goodwill–it delivers real operational and reputational benefits, improving care quality and strengthening the facility’s image.

A calmer environment helps patients stay still, reducing motion artifacts and scan interruptions.
Better patient experience can improve satisfaction scores and referrals.
From a marketing perspective, facilities that offer a more tranquil, advanced MRI suite (with acoustic treatment) stand out among competitors.
Staff fatigue and stress are reduced when they aren’t shouting to communicate over a roaring magnet.

In short: controlling acoustic noise contributes to better imaging quality, smoother workflow, and a more comfortable, patient-friendly healthcare environment.

Acoustic Challenges in MRI Rooms

While people may think of MRI noise as something that stays inside the imaging room, the truth is that sound usually travels–both through the air and through the building structure. This dual pathway means hospitals must design with both airborne and structure-borne energy in mind. Effective MRI room soundproofing demands an understanding of how sound behaves in confined, high-intensity spaces and how to prevent it from affecting adjacent rooms.

Airborne Noise

The MRI’s acoustic energy propagates through the air into the room and adjacent spaces. In a poorly treated MRI suite, sound reflects off hard surfaces, amplifying perceived noise and allowing leakage through walls, doors, or ceiling penetrations. Reverberation inside the MRI room magnifies the effect, effectively increasing the noise experienced by the patient and staff.

Effective airborne noise control in healthcare facilities begins with acoustic treatments like absorptive panels.

Structure-Borne Vibration

Vibrations from the MRI frame or gradient coil assemblies can transfer into floors, walls, ceilings, and even connected structures. This can produce low-frequency rumble or secondary noise in neighboring rooms–particularly challenging when imaging suites are close to offices, waiting rooms, or patient wards.

Because these structural paths bypass standard acoustic treatments, they must be addressed with vibration isolation strategies.

Safe Acoustic Solutions for MRI Noise Control

To truly reduce MRI noise, hospitals must deploy a combination of acoustic and vibration control techniques–all without interfering with the MRI’s electromagnetic environment or safety protocols. Below are proven, non-intrusive strategies centered on MRI room soundproofing and hospital acoustic treatment.

Controlling Airborne Noise

Airborne sound is the most immediate and noticeable form of MRI noise. Reducing it requires adding absorption to the room, sealing leaks, and increasing the mass of barriers. These methods collectively help prevent sound from reflecting back to patients or escaping into adjacent spaces.

High-NRC acoustic wall panels / fabric-wrapped wall panels for hospitals: Install acoustical wall panels with high noise reduction coefficients (NRC) to absorb reflected sound within the room. Panels for MRI rooms must be cleanable, use non-ferrous attachment hardware, and meet healthcare hygiene standards.
Acoustic ceiling tiles: Use ceiling tiles rated for healthcare settings; some designs allow integrating additional drywall or damping layers above the grid (provided the grid can support extra weight) to reduce leakage into the plenum.
Soundproof doors: In a hospital, soundproof doors can make a huge difference. Use solid doors with heavy cores, perimeter acoustic seals, and automatic door bottom gaskets. A well-sealed door is critical because most sound leaks occur at door perimeters via the air gap that connects the inside of the room with the outside.
Soundproof windows for medical facilities: For MRI-rated windows, use laminated glass with intermediate layers designed to block sound better than tempered glass. Where needed, layering Climate Seal window inserts can yield additional reduction.
Seal penetrations and service openings: Acoustical backer boxes or mufflers should cover cable ports, HVAC, or utility penetrations. Any opening is a potential weak spot in MRI suite sound isolation.

Isolating Structure-Borne Vibration

Controlling structure-borne vibration involves physically separating–or decoupling–surfaces so that energy from the MRI machine can’t easily pass into the surrounding structure. It’s an essential component of noise reduction that complements airborne sound treatments.

Floating floor / vibration isolation hangers: Incorporate non-ferrous isolation mounts, pads, or rubber underlayments under the MRI room floor slab or platform to decouple the room from the building structure.
Wall decoupling systems (RSIC-1 Clips, staggered studs): Use resilient clips or decoupled wall assemblies to reduce vibration from transferring through adjacent walls.
Multiple drywall layers with damping (e.g., Green Glue): Implement multi-layer drywall with damping compounds between layers. When combined with insulation in cavities, this reduces sound transmission through wall assemblies.
Rubber isolation pads under ancillary equipment: Although you can’t isolate the MRI magnet itself (per manufacturer constraints), equipment, platforms, and support structures can rest on vibration-absorbing pads.

Soundproofing Adjoining Rooms

Noise doesn’t always need to be completely eliminated in the MRI room to make a difference. Often, controlling flanking transmission to adjacent control rooms or corridors provides a noticeable improvement in the overall acoustic environment. This is where mass-loaded vinyl for MRI rooms and other dense materials can make a substantial impact.

Mass-loaded vinyl for MRI rooms: Integrate MLV barriers inside wall cavities between the MRI suite and control room or adjacent rooms. MLV adds mass and blocks sound paths.
Backer boxes on outlets and penetrations: For outlets, pipes, or conduits, acoustic backer boxes help avoid sound bypassing walls via flanking paths.
Layered construction with decoupling: A decoupled wall assembly (staggered studs) with multiple layers of ⅝” drywall and green glue between them and cavities filled with insulation on both sides of shared structure combine mass, stiffness, and isolation layers for superior soundproofing.

Best Practices for MRI Noise Reduction Projects

Every successful acoustic treatment project in a medical imaging room shares a few key traits: careful, specific design and planning, MRI-safe materials, and coordination with the larger building design. When designing for reducing MRI noise for patients, even small details like door thresholds, ceiling grid supports, or conduit seals can make the difference between good and exceptional performance.

Use only MRI-safe (non-ferrous, non-magnetic) materials to avoid interference with imaging or safety hazards.
Combine absorption and isolation: Airborne absorption alone is rarely enough to tackle noise problems; structural isolation is essential for comprehensive noise control.
Plan early or retrofit with care: Incorporate acoustic measures at the MRI suite design stage when possible. Retrofit wisely to minimize downtime.
Use measurement and verification: Before and after mitigation, perform sound-level and vibration tests to validate noise reduction and performance.
Coordinate with other systems: HVAC, electrical, and structural systems must remain functional without compromising acoustic seals.
Work with acoustic consultants familiar with medical imaging rooms: MRI noise control is a specialized domain blending acoustics and electromagnetics.

Quiet MRI Rooms Mean Better Patient Care

Ultimately, when a hospital can significantly reduce MRI noise, the benefits ripple outward in every direction. A well-designed acoustic environment improves both the patient and staff experience, creating a calmer and more efficient healthcare setting.

Patient comfort during MRI improves: calmer environment, less stress, fewer motion artifacts.
Staff benefit from easier communication, less fatigue, and smoother workflows.
Hospital reputation shines: facilities that invest in advanced MRI suite sound isolation create a more patient-centered impression.
Over time, quieter MRI rooms can reduce repeat scans, lower complaint rates, and enhance throughput.

In short, smart acoustic design around an MRI can turn a stressful experience into a more tolerable–and even serene–one.

If your facility is planning a new MRI suite or retrofit, and you’re looking to reduce MRI noise with proven materials like acoustic panels for MRI rooms, soundproof doors, vibration hangers, or fabric-wrapped wall panels, Acoustical Surfaces is ready to help. Contact one of our team members today to discuss a tailored hospital acoustic treatment plan and get started on quieter, more welcoming imaging environments.