Yet another MRI 'freak accident' is making headlines months after it took place

In what is being described as a “freak accident,” a patient in California narrowly missed serious harm inside an MRI suite. 

The incident occurred in an  exam room while a patient was waiting to begin their scan. During that time, a trainee is said to have brought a wheelchair that was not MRI-safe into the room. The chair was then pulled into the scanner, landing sideways on the machine. Fortunately, the patient was not hit by the projectile and did not sustain injuries. 

The near-miss happened last spring at Mountain View Center Imaging, local news station Fox KTVU reports. The imaging center is operated by Sutter Health and accredited with the American College of Radiology.  

Detailed information pertaining to the accident is vague. At the time, news of the incident did not circulate and whether it was reported to any governing body remains unclear. MRI safety expert Tobias Gilk, MRSO, MR architect and founder of Gilk Radiology Consultants, tells Health Imaging that when he sought to investigate it, he was essentially given the runaround by multiple regulatory organizations in California. 

“The problem wasn’t that the incident wasn’t reported,” Gilk said. “The problem is that there was no one to report it to—no one who assumed responsibility.” 

Gilk first reached out to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to inquire and was told that they were not the regulating body of that facility. Instead, he needed to contact the Medical Board of California. When he reached out to the board, he was told they only regulate the conduct of active physicians. They then directed him to the Radiation Health Branch at CDPH, but that effort was fruitless as well. Since MRIs do not involve ionizing radiation, Gilk was told the modality  was essentially out of the branch’s jurisdiction.

Despite his efforts, Gilk was unable to determine who oversees MRI safety in the state. However, this is not an issue exclusive to California. It is a common theme when it comes to the oversight of the modality’s safety—recommendations sit in safety binders where concrete standards are needed, and it can be difficult to determine who holds the gavel when it comes to MRI safety. 

This has become a growing issue in recent years, as MRI accidents continue to  make headlines—so much so that Gilk says he now “cringes” when he hears these incidents described as “freak accidents” when they are nearly "completely preventable."

Read more about MRI safety and regulation below.