From fatal accidents to traumatic experiences, this is what happens when MRIs go wrong.
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Number 5 Rajesh Maru In 2018, Indian man Rajesh Maru was visiting
an elderly relative at Mumbai’s Nair Hospital.
According to his family, a staff member asked Maru to carry an oxygen cylinder inside the
room with the MRI scanner.
The person in question reportedly assured Maru’s family that the machine had been
turned off.
This, unfortunately, wasn’t the case.
As he carried the metal cylinder inside, Maru was yanked towards the machine with great
force.
The tank was damaged by the impact and started leaking liquid oxygen, which Maru inhaled.
He was rushed to the emergency room, but was pronounced dead within ten minutes.
In the aftermath, arrests were made and the victim’s family was compensated.
Next up, we’ve got several police officers who were disarmed by MRI scanners, but first
let’s learn more about how these machines work.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI is a medical imaging technique used to observe the physiological
processes and anatomy of the human body.
The MRI scanner is a large cylindrical machine which creates a strong magnetic field around
the body.
Although the machine is complex, the way it works is quite simple to grasp.
Once a person is inside the narrow tube, the scanner sends pulses of radio waves which
knock hydrogen nuclei out of their regular position.
Since we’re mostly made of water, hydrogen atoms are abundant in the body.
In the MRI scanner, instead of spinning randomly, hydrogen atoms line up with the magnetic field.
When the magnetic field is turned off, the nuclei return to their normal position and,
in doing so, send out radio signals.
A computer then analyzes these signals and converts them into images of the organ or
body structure that’s being examined.
It’s a highly effective procedure, but one that also comes with several risks, particularly
since it involves the use of powerful electromagnets.
Before we continue with our list, answer this question.
Which of these activities was performed in an MRI machine for scientific observation?
a.
Writing Poetry b.
Solving a Rubik’s Cube c.
Speaking backwards d.
Having Intercourse Let us know what you think in the comments
section below and keep watching to find out the right answer.
Number 4 MRIs and Guns In 2013, an unnamed police officer in rural
Illinois was investigating a burglary inside a medical building.
As he entered the MRI room, his service weapon was forcefully pulled to the machine.
The gun remained immovable and the building was locked down.
The situation was only resolved after the machine’s manufacturer was contacted for
assistance.
Oddly enough, the 2013 incident wasn’t the first time that an MRI scanner had disarmed
a police officer.
In 2009 a police officer was visiting her mother, when her firearm was pulled to the
machine thus trapping her hand as well.
She managed to get free, but the weapon was stuck to the machine for hours.
Then again, in 2006, an off-duty officer in New York carried a gun into the MRI room during
his examination.
The weapon was pulled to the machine and released a bullet into the wall.
Fortunately, nobody was hurt.
Our next listing involves a severe injury suffered by an elderly war veteran.
Before we get to that, though, let’s see what an MRI scanner can actually be used for.
The MRI scanner is among the best diagnostic tools available in medicine today.
Since its development in the 1970s and 1980s, it has gradually evolved to include more processes.
One of these is observing the functional activity in the brain by measuring changes in blood
flow.
Diffusion MRI is used to observe how water molecules move through the body since strokes
or tumors may restrict their diffusion.
Developed in the early 2000s, Real-time MRI can be used for continuous observation of
moving organs, like the heart.
MRI can also be combined with high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy.
This noninvasive technique uses high energy beams to remove diseased tissue and the process
may be monitored through magnetic resonance.
Aside from its wide variety of applications, it’s also worth mentioning that, unlike
CT or CAT scans, MRI doesn’t use X-Ray or ionizing radiation.
Number 3 Dan Mahony 79-year-old war veteran Dan Mahony was seriously
injured in a radiology center in Medford, New York.
According to Mahony’s son, the man had been informed about the dangers of bringing metal
objects inside the MRI room.
Yet, nobody told him to leave his metal walker behind.
It was yanked from under Mahony as soon as the elderly man entered the room.
He fell to the floor abruptly and hit his head.
Two days later he suffered a stroke and roughly two months later he was dead.
Mahony’s family subsequently sued the hospital.
Before we get to one of the most brutal incidents to have ever taken place inside an MRI room,
let’s go through some of the ways a scanner can
kill you.
Although rare, MRI-related fatalities have occurred, mostly as the result of human error.
Since high-powered magnets are used, anything metal on or inside the body can basically
become a deadly projectile.
Internally, this includes anything from pacemakers, screws, plates or surgical clips to shrapnel
or bullets.
These objects can heat up, become displaced or, in rare cases, even get forcefully pulled
out of the body.
Minuscule metal fragments in the eye may cause tissue damage or even blindness.
It’s worth mentioning that MRI magnets are at least 1,000 times more powerful than refrigerator
magnets.
If something metal is brought inside the room, it will be drawn to the inside of the scanner,
where the patient is sitting.
The greater the mass of the metal object and the closer it is to the machine, the more
dangerous it becomes.
Substances, known as contrast dyes, may be administered through an IV to improve the
imaging quality.
Some patients may suffer allergic reactions to these substances.
Additionally, the loud sounds, the confined space and the pressure to sit still may cause
anxiety attacks.
Number 2 Michael Colombini 6-year-old Michael Colombini died after sustaining
severe skull trauma at the Westchester Medical Center, north of New York City.
The incident took place in 2001.
Prior to going in the MRI scanner, the boy had undergone surgery to remove a benign tumor.
His kindergarten teacher told a media outlet “You’d think that if you had survived
all of that, you’d be sort of home free”.
The MRI scan was a way for doctors to monitor the boy’s progress after the surgery.
Even though the dangers of having anything metal in the room were part of the safety
protocols, a metal oxygen tank somehow made its way inside.
As the 10-ton electromagnet was turned on, the tank was pulled towards the tube, at 20
to 30 feet per second.
The flying cylinder crushed the boy’s skull, causing fractures and bruising to his brain.
He later succumbed to his injuries.
In light of this tragic incident, let’s go through some MRI safety measures.
After that we’ll take a look at a case involving two hospital workers pinned down by an oxygen
tank for four hours.
From the perspective of medical professionals, safety is a matter of following the proper
regulations when operating the MRI machine.
These may differ slightly, depending on the country where the machine is used, but the
overall safety protocol is usually the same.
As a patient, you should inform your doctor if you have any metal implants or foreign
objects in your body.
Remove all jewellery, piercings and other metal objects before you go inside the room
with the scanner.
Tell your doctor if you suffer from claustrophobia, which is the fear of being enclosed in a tight
space.
Anti-anxiety medication may be provided to ease your MRI experience.
You should also notify the radiologist or technician of any known allergies.
So, what activity was performed in an MRI scanner for scientific observation?
The right answer was d, having intercourse.
In the late 1990s, a Dutch researcher named Pek van Andel and his team studied several
couples as they had intercourse in an MRI scanner.
It was reportedly done to observe bodily functions during heterosexual relations.
Number 1 Incident in Mumbai In November, 2014, two hospital workers in
Mumbai spent roughly four hours sandwiched between a metal oxygen tank and an MRI machine.
As they were preparing the machine for a scan, technician Swami Ramaiah asked ward boy, Sunil
Jadhav, to bring him an oxygen mask.
Jadhav, who’d never worked in an MRI room, misunderstood and brought him a 4-foot oxygen
tank instead.
As Jadhav approached the machine, he was yanked with such brute force that he didn’t have
time to drop the tank.
Both he and Ramaiah were pinned against the MRI machine.
It would’ve been over in a matter of minutes, but the scanner’s emergency stop didn’t
work and the magnetic field remained active.
Therefore, the men were stuck to the scanner for about four hours.
Jadhav had suffered a fractured shoulder while Ramaiah had suffered a ruptured bladder, kidney
damage and internal bleeding.
The men were treated while they were still pinned to the machine.
According to local reports, a team of rescuers at one point tried to remove the cylinder
using a rope.
The effort proved futile and the men were only released after an engineer working for
the scanner’s manufacturer arrived on site.
Both of them eventually recovered and were compensated in the incident’s aftermath.
It would take almost a year for Ramaiah to return to his work and he was reportedly traumatized
by what had happened.
Thanks for watching!
Would you rather be stuck in an MRI machine for five hours or be subjected to constant
jump scares for that same amount of time?
Let us know in the comments section below!