Police investigate death of man who was pulled into MRI machine : NPR

An MRI machine is seen in Pittsburgh. New York county police police investigate the death of a 61 -year -old man who was injured after being trained in an MRI machine this week.

Keith Srakocic / AP

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Keith Srakocic / AP

Police investigate a man’s death after being trained in a magnetic resonance imaging machine (MRI) earlier this week.

The 61 -year -old man wore a “large metallic chain” when he entered an MRI room on Wednesday at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, NY, while scan was underway, said the police department of Nassau.

The chain caused the man to be “trained in the machine that led to a medical episode” and died of his injuries the next day, police also said.

NPR contacted Nassau Open MRI in Westbury to comment on Saturday but did not receive an answer.

An MRI can create a “solid and static magnetic field” which creates physical risks, said Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates the security of MRI. This can attract and “draw” magnetic items such as mobile phones, keys and oxygen tanks that can injure patients and health professionals if they become projectiles, the agency said.

“The meticulous screening of people and objects entering the MR environment is essential to ensure that nothing enters the loving area which can become a projectile,” according to the FDA.