Man left in critical condition after he was sucked into MRI machine while wearing metal necklace
Topics: Health
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Health
A man from Long Island was sucked into an MRI machine on Wednesday (July 16), which has left him in critical condition.
The incident happened at a MRI centre in Westbury with the magnetic pull of the MRI dragging the man into the machine by a metallic necklace he was wearing, according to Nassau County police.
Official reports have not indicated why the unidentified 61-year-old man was in the MRI room, as he was not believed to have been permitted there at the time of the incident.
However, according to a witness at the centre, the man had supposedly ignored orders to stay out of the MRI room after he heard a patient, who is believed to be his relative, screaming.
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Police went on to say the man suffered a 'medical episode' after being dragged in the MRI machine and was taken to a hospital nearby for treatment.
He was last described as being in critical condition, according to a report by PIX11.
As per CBS News, staff at North Shore University Hospital have explained the dangers of entering an MRI room without permission.
Dr. Payal Sud said: "The dangers could be catastrophic and it underscores why we have all the safety precautions in place."
North Shore went on to explain that all metal and electrical objects, including that of jewellery must be removed by patients before entering a machine.
They can be also dangerous for people with oxygen tanks and those in wheelchairs, with Charles Winterfeldt, who is the hospital's director of imaging services, adding: "It would act like a torpedo trying to get into the middle of the center of the magnet."
Sud said that if the chain was 'wrapped around the neck', then a number of 'strangulation injuries' could occur, like asphyxiation or cervical spinal injuries.
As for how strong the magnetic field within the MRI system is, the University of California, San Francisco's Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging explains it perfectly: "The static magnetic field of the MRI system is exceptionally strong. A 1.5 T magnet generates a magnetic that is approximately 21,000 greater than the earth's natural field."
They further add that even small metal objects, like paper clips, can become projectiles at a terminal velocity of 40mph.
However, CBS News further reports that experts say that injuries and deaths linked to MRI machines are rare involving an object, such as a piece of jewellery.
UNILAD has reached out to Nassau County Police Department for comment.