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CNN Live At Daybreak

Freak MRI Accident Kills 6-Year-Old

Aired July 31, 2001 - 08:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: A freak accident has killed a 6- year-old boy at a hospital in Valhalla, New York, just north of New York City. He was having an MRI, and there was a metal oxygen tank in the room. When the imaging machine's 10-ton electromagnet was turned on, the oxygen tank was magnetized, went sailing across the room striking the child's head. He died of what was called blunt force trauma.

Some perspective on this now from medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

A horrible, horrible story by any accounts. But what do hospitals do to prevent...

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right.

MCEDWARDS: ... this kind of thing from happening?

GUPTA: Right. It's a huge magnet.

MCEDWARDS: Yes.

GUPTA: And that's how the MRI actually works. And you know, they have signs outside the door saying, you know, don't bring anything metallic in there. Don't even carry your wallet, which has credit cards, because those could get erased.

But those signs, you know, can only do so much. And if you're in a rush sometimes, I guess people might actually forget. I have forgotten myself and actually walked in with my wallet and had all of my credit cards erased.

MCEDWARDS: Oh, is that right.

GUPTA: So -- yes, it certainly is...

MCEDWARDS: And you see those signs. They are big. They say danger, don't come in with this and this and this. But what else could be done?

GUPTA: Well, one of the things that, you know, some people have brought up at a hospital is actually putting a metal detector outside the door, so that when you go in or right outside the door, you actually hear a beep. And it makes you second check everything and make sure and take everything metal off -- your watches. All of those things get magnetized and actually sort of pull your arm across the room towards the scanner.

MCEDWARDS: Is that a cost issue maybe though in doing that, or...

GUPTA: Hey, it certainly could be a...

MCEDWARDS: ... maybe?

GUPTA: ... cost issue, you know. But -- and I should point out as well, a situation like this is so rare. I, you know, having worked in a hospital for, you know, 10 years, I have never heard of something quite like this. So pretty isolated. But that can happen. And you know, even if it's your credit cards or your watch or something, a metal detector certainly would help with that.

MCEDWARDS: Alarming to people though -- frightening. I mean, should people be worried about having an MRI themselves, or having somebody to having their child have one?

GUPTA: Right. I think I could almost unequivocally say no. MRIs are still pretty safe. You know, these scans are great. They have no radiation, and it is very safe for pregnant women, for example. Also children we don't want to expose radiation to. This sort of magnetic issue is the one time where it could be a little dangerous, and what we saw here was an example of that. But such a rare situation. I, you know, like I said, had never heard of something quite like that. So be careful not to take any metal into the room. But besides that, they are pretty safe test.

MCEDWARDS: I bet. All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks for your perspective of this.

GUPTA: Thank you.

MCEDWARDS: Appreciate it.

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