Quote:
Originally Posted by kingrex
We were always very careful...it's easier to get a patient killed than you'll ever know. When a piece of metal gets loose near the magnet, it seeks out the center of the magnet, which happens to be where the patient's head is. And the bigger the object, the stronger the pull is. We've had hospital stretchers stuck to the magnet...if you try to jerk them off it too fast, you can cause the magnet windings to torque, which can cause a quick build-up of heat (relative to the near-absolute zero temperature in the magnet). At that point, the magnet can "quench", i.e., to boil-off all the cryogenic helium inside it. The liquid helium turns to gas and bursts from the magnet, displacing the oxygen in the room in the process. If you don't get a door open quickly, you could suffocate. We were trained to drop to the floor if this happens, as the helium is lighter than air.
Bet you didn't know that one. 
The funniest thing I ever saw in my radiology days was in the emergency room (actually, there are about 100 funniest things I ever saw in the emergency room). But this one stood out...I had to x-ray a patient's abdomen (called a KUB), and when I walked in he was running around the perimeter of the room. In discomfort. I got him to lie down and took an x-ray..went to develop it and saw a slender tube-like, air-filled structure. I didn't know what the heck it was, this cylinder of air...then, I noticed a small spring at one end, like the little old spring inside the average ball point pen. I found out later (from an OR tech) that it was a bottle of Vitalis Super-Hold hair gel with the convenient pump-action nozzle...somehow (and for some reason) inserted into his rectum.
You can't make this stuff up. |
Why can't you just use a metal detector to screen little old ladies and other forgetful folks before they go in? Or tell them that they'd better think REAL hard because if they forgot any metal on/in their body, they could come out dead, disfigured, or whatever you think would scare that particular individual the most.
Kidding on that one, of course, but really why not metal detectors?
Actually, I DID know about the helium-oxygen disaster thing. I read several sites on MRI safety after having that hot-neck episode, and that one, well, it took my breath away! I presume that remains only a theoretical possiblity and has never happened? Although I did hear about the kid who got killed when an oxygen tank hit him in the head; very sad.
I bet the whole ER staff is still telling your Vitalis story! I'm sure you've seen lots of funny stuff, but do you ever watch the true-life "Untold Stories of the ER" on TV? It's really amazing--and excellent proof of what you said: You can't make this stuff up. I mean, the woman who kept named worms in pockets she cut into her skin... the guy who was removing thumbtacks on the ceiling and had one fall into his mouth and directly into his lung, unbeknownst to anyone until he nearly died... the doctor who hit on using hair-removal wax to get thousands of cactus stickers out of a young girl's skin, etc.
You should start a "Rex's 100 funniest stories" daily feature and keep us amused for 100 days.
Nancy