Nurse crushed by MRI machine, screws embedded in body

A California nurse was injured after being crushed by an MRI machine (Representational image)

A California nurse was left needing surgery for her injuries after she was crushed by an MRI machine. The shocking incident highlights safety concerns in the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging technology which, if used incorrectly, can lead to serious injuries.

According to a KTVU report, nurse Ainah Cervantes became pinned between a hospital bed and an MRI machine in February while working at the Kaiser Permanente facility in Redwood City.

Cervantes was with a patient when the MRI machine’s intense magnetic force pulled the hospital bed towards it. She became pinned between the bed and machine, suffering crushing injuries, as per the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

“I was getting pushed by the bed,” Cervantes told investigators. “Basically, I was running backwards, If I didn’t run, the bed would smash me underneath.” The patient escaped unharmed in the freak accident, but Cervantes was left needing surgery for her lacerations.

The surgery included the removal of two screws that became embedded in her body.

Although the incident occurred in February, the investigation was completed several months later and found that the Redwood medical centre “failed to provide radiologic services in a safe manner.”

To begin with, the nurse and the patient were left unsupervised in the room, without a trained MRI personnel. Moreover, the safety alarm failed to sound. The door to the room was left open and the patient was never screened.

The report also found that employees did not receive adequate training, among other safety breaches. The Kaiser Permanente facility has been fined $18,000 (Rs 15 lakh approx.) over the workplace accident.