Fatal MRI Incident: Why Strict MRI Safety Rules Are Essential

Summary: While assisting his wife out of an MRI machine, a man, wearing heavy weight training chains, gets pulled in and succumbs the next day.

The incident

A woman, Adrienne McAllister, was getting a routine knee scan done in Long Island, New York. After the scan, her husband, Keith McAllister, entered the room to help her out. He was wearing a heavy-weight-training chain, which attracted the magnet in the MRI, pulling him towards it. He was stuck to the MRI for an hour before they could prise him free.

Adrienne said she tried to free her husband from the machine, all the while shouting for help and for someone to switch the machine off. Unfortunately, her husband died the next day.

MRI Awareness

This incident shows how some awareness could have saved the man. No doubt, it is scary inside an MRI room, but if certain precautions are taken, it can be safe.

No metals inside: Metallic objects like jewellery, piercings, watches, belts, keys, credit cards, pins, coins, and all things metallic should be left outside the MRI room. The magnet of the MRI attracts these objects often leading to disasters.
Implants: Medical implants like pacemaker, cochlear implant or surgical clips should be disclosed to the doctor or technician before entering the scan room. Some implants may be safe, but they need to be checked by the doctors.
Clothes: Some clothes like workout gear, leggings, sports bras, have tiny metallic fibres woven in them. These fibres heat up during the scan. This is the reason hospitals provide cotton gowns for patients to wear during scans.
Inform health conditions: Keep your doctor informed of any underlying medical conditions you may have like claustrophobia, pregnancy, kidney issues or any other health issues. Knowing about these issues beforehand, the doctor can give you some medication to relax you from claustrophobia. Some scans require use of contrast dye, which does not suit everyone, so if your doctor is aware, he can advise precautions.
Follow instructions: Once in the machine, the technician may ask you to be completely still, as moving will cause the images to blur. This may entail you spending more time in the MRI machine to get the perfect images. So diligently follow the instruction of the technician.

Conclusion

The above are some basic and simple things that need to be followed in order to prevent any tragedies. These instructions should be informed to the patient and their family, for their safety. It is better to be safe than sorry. It is necessary to share these instructions with your family, friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintances, neighbours, so that they may also stay safe. In this digital age, if you can post these instructions on your social media platforms, a lot more people will benefit and become aware of the safety and dangers of MRI. Be aware, be informed, be safe.

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