MRI freakout

[stevej37]

Here's what not to do when going in or being around an MRI machine.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-critically-injured-being-pulled-211014029.html

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[A930Rocket]

^^^ His “necklace” was a 20 pound chain and lock he used for “exercise”. That said, he never should’ve been allowed in the room.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

^^^ His “necklace” was a 20 pound chain and lock he used for “exercise”. That said, he never should’ve been allowed in the room.

We’ll probably never know, but that chain violently trying to leave his neck could have partially decapitated him or broke his neck. I wonder if there was a patient in the machine when he or parts of him came flying at the machine?

[A930Rocket]

His wife was getting an MRI and asked the tech to have her husband help her get up. Supposedly he had worn the chain many times before to the facility and the tech had mentioned it. Supposedly, the tech didn’t authorize him to go in the room. It’s going to be a he said, she said scenario.

This was not some hospital setting, but looks like a MRI only office, with multiple other stores around it

https://nypost.com/2025/07/19/us-news/long-island-man-killed-by-mri-machine-had-worn-bulky-chain-into-same-room-before-wife/

[javadog]

I'm surprised they let him in the waiting area with that much metal moving around. Back in the day when I built MRI rooms and such, I remember the engineers looking hard at ANY metal that moved in the area. Elevator counterweights from 50 yards away got a look....

As for the claustrophobia thing, I'm happy I've never had an MRI. I was involved with the earliest MRI's back when they were still experimental. I think I worked on the 4th one ever installed in the US. You have no idea what a small bore really looked like. My shoulders were to big to even go into the hole. I wish I had a picture of it... Decommissioned it (finally!) in the early 90's, sold it for $10k to a company to use it in a veterinary practice. Had to crane it out through a second story glass wall. Fun times.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

^^^ His “necklace” was a 20 pound chain and lock he used for “exercise”. That said, he never should’ve been allowed in the room.

Rust and Darwin never sleep.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Rust and Darwin never sleep.

Ha - most excellent!!!

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

His wife was getting an MRI and asked the tech to have her husband help her get up. Supposedly he had worn the chain many times before to the facility and the tech had mentioned it. Supposedly, the tech didn’t authorize him to go in the room. It’s going to be a he said, she said scenario.

This was not some hospital setting, but looks like a MRI only office, with multiple other stores around it

https://nypost.com/2025/07/19/us-news/long-island-man-killed-by-mri-machine-had-worn-bulky-chain-into-same-room-before-wife/

Wife was on Fox this morning, interviewed in her front yard. Blames it on the Tech for allowing him in the room. Said he had been in there many times before. If that is the case, you would know to not wear 20lbs of chain and padlock. Sad. She said she and Tech tried to pull him out. Apparently he had 2 heart attacks while this was going on.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by javadog

I'm surprised they let him in the waiting area with that much metal moving around. Back in the day when I built MRI rooms and such, I remember the engineers looking hard at ANY metal that moved in the area. Elevator counterweights from 50 yards away got a look....

As for the claustrophobia thing, I'm happy I've never had an MRI. I was involved with the earliest MRI's back when they were still experimental. I think I worked on the 4th one ever installed in the US. You have no idea what a small bore really looked like. My shoulders were to big to even go into the hole. I wish I had a picture of it... Decommissioned it (finally!) in the early 90's, sold it for $10k to a company to use it in a veterinary practice. Had to crane it out through a second story glass wall. Fun times.

I had a shoulder MRI in 2006ish in Watertown NY. So very small town that is surrounded by farm communities.

The tube was just large enough to fit in and super slow. Back then I was invincible and was able to lay in the thing for a long time on a blown out shoulder that was very painful. Between scans, they pulled me out (I was head first) in order to inject contrast. I had no idea and when they told me what was about to happen and I saw the 3 feet needle I put a stop to it. I was in so much pain from laying on my shoulder that no way could I do it any longer.

Bonus: when I told the surgeon, he was surprised that they wanted to add contrast since he hadn't ordered it. Then he told me that contrast wouldn't have helped him see any better than just the regular MRI.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

Wife was on Fox this morning, interviewed in her front yard. Blames it on the Tech for allowing him in the room. Said he had been in there many times before. If that is the case, you would know to not wear 20lbs of chain and padlock. Sad. She said she and Tech tried to pull him out. Apparently he had 2 heart attacks while this was going on.

I doubt the wife's story. No way a tech would ever let anybody other than the patient in the room when the scan is going on and no way they would have missed seeing a 20 lb. chain around the guy's neck.

I'm sure he barged in on his own before the tech could react to the view he has from the control room.

And there are always plenty of signs warning about the dangers.

Sounds like they couldn't shut it off so it must have been a permanent magnet and techs are very picky about who gets to go in those rooms.

[DonDavis]

I agree with Java.

Certainly tragic, yet completely preventable/avoidable. For whatever reason, someone didn’t do the right thing.

[stevej37]

I'm thinking the guy's chain was more like .2 lbs.
A 20 lb. chain would be more like a prisoners feet and arms chains/shackles.

[NY65912]

The first MRI I had was in 1991 at Hospital for Joint Diseases in Manhattan. It was in a cooled trailer outside the building. The bore was so small I had to scrunch my shoulders. My nose was about a 1/2" from the tube.
Not fun.
I'm going for another on Friday, thankfully it's an open machine.

[berettafan]

Yikes nfw I could do that.

[stevej37]