Joint Commission warns of MRI dangers
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
February 20, 2008
The Joint Commission recently released a sentinel event alert warning hospitals of the potential dangers related to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Food and Drug Administration received about 400 reports of MRI-related accidents, according to The Joint Commission. The majority of injuries were burns, most often caused by wires, surgical staples, or a patient's body touching the wall of the scanner, according to The Joint Commission.Other common MRI accidents involve objects that can be pulled by the magnetic field of the scanner, such as ink pens and oxygen canisters, and become projectiles that may hit and injure patients. Implant dislodging and acoustic injury were also reported as MRI-related.
To read the full alert, click here.
