What is a potential risk with a non-ferrous pain pump?

A non-ferrous pain pump does not contain materials that would be attracted by a magnetic field, which is a critical safety feature in the context of MRI. However, even non-ferrous materials can experience electromagnetic effects when exposed to rapid changes in magnetic fields, particularly in high-field MRI environments.

Lenz's force is a phenomenon related to electromagnetic induction, where a current induced in a conductor creates a magnetic field that opposes the change in the original magnetic field. In an MRI setting, the rapidly switching magnetic fields can induce currents in any conductive material, including those found in non-ferrous pain pumps. These induced currents can lead to heating or other unanticipated movements of device components, which poses a safety risk during MRI procedures.

While rotational force and translation force are concerns related to ferromagnetic devices, they are not pertinent with non-ferrous materials in the same way that Lenz's force is. The critical aspect to understand is that Lenz's force can lead to unexpected behaviors of non-ferrous devices in the presence of the changing magnetic fields of an MRI system, making this the most relevant risk associated with non-ferrous pain pumps in that environment.