MRI Deaths

 

Most modern hospitals these days have a magnetic resonance imaging facility. MRI is an alternative to computed tomography X-ray scanning and is better in many ways because it does not involve an ionizing radiation dose and it provides better quality images of some tissues. It works by causing the nuclear particles of atoms to spin and give off a radio signal that can be picked up by a special antenna. It's more stressful for the patient though. MRI's make a loud rattling noise and the patient has to wear earplugs. They have their whole body inserted into a narrow tubular space inside the machine which is a bit claustrophobic. MRI scanners are very expensive; each one costing up to a million pounds. Despite their health benefits, they have their own dangers. The magnetic field generated by the system is incredibly powerful, four to five teslas, sometimes more. This can cause injury if a person has a medical implant or jewellery on. It can also damage electronics, machinery and clockwork, in a wristwatch for example. All magnetic objects, metallic primarily, have to be kept away from the scanner.  Sadly there have been some accidents. I have found two. Michael Colombini was aged just six when he was taken into the MRI chamber for a scan. When the machine was activated a steel oxygen cylinder was attracted to the coil and flew across the chamber, striking the boy's head. Michael, of Croton-on-Hudson, New York USA, was killed. The hospital accepted full responsibility, but the hospital consists of many different disciplines, including portering. Were some more to blame than others? Well, the transportation and installation of medical gases is the job of the porters. It is our duty to make sure the cylinders are moved safely and attached to their regulators correctly. In an MRI chamber no cylinder should be left because they are made of metal. Gas comes from a mains supply via a non-magnetic pipe. So in this instance, it may well be the HP's fault. However, blame can rarely be assigned to one person. Who trained them? Were they trained correctly? Is the radiographer supposed to double-check the chamber before scanning commences etc? However; it was clearly at least partly a porter's fault. Source: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/hospital-horror-boy-6-killed-35605165.

In the case of the second accident, a Mr Keith McAllister entered the chamber after his wife, Adrienne, called for help. This was during the scan when he was not authorized to do so. The sixty-one year old was wearing a weight training chain around his neck... God knows why! The magnetic field dragged him into the machine by this chain causing him lethal injuries. Source: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/man-dragged-death-mri-scanner-35601685. Ironically this happened just two days previously at the Nassau Open Hospital on Long Island, New York; quite close to the Westchester Medical Centre in Valhalla, NY, the one Michael Colombini was at. No porter can be blamed for that. I'm not sure it's the fault of any staff member. Mostly likely it was simply misadventure on the part of Mr McAllister. The relatives of both he and young Michael have my deepest sympathies. Bad things happen in hospitals, some of the worst things you can imagine. Some of that is the truthful inevitability of healthcare, other times they are mishaps. It seems to be standard practice to try and blame HP's as much as possible; as the saying goes: "shit rolls downhill". We HP's are not blameless angels. We get things wrong and we even commit evil deeds, but sometimes you simply have to be fair and admit that the porters are innocent.
See here for background: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2017/08/lift-accident-porters-not-to-blame.html.
And: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2024/12/jumpers-update.html.