Nurse Crushed Between Metal Bed And Magnetic MRI Machine: Reports

REDWOOD CITY, CA — A Bay Area nurse underwent surgery and spent days in the hospital after she was crushed between a metal bed and an MRI machine while working at the Kaiser Permanente facility in Redwood City, according to reports.

The incident occurred Feb. 23 when the nurse was moving the bed toward the MRI room, the door to which was open, resulting in the bed being pulled toward the magnetic machine, the Daily Post reported.

The woman injured her pelvis, leg and abdomen, according to the Post, and two screws were embedded in her body, KTVU reported, adding the patient who had been on the bed fell to the floor but was not injured.

The state health department found the facility did not provide safe radiologic services, according to KTVU, which reported the nurse was not supervised by MRI personnel or screened, the door to the MRI room was open and the safety alarm did not go off. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined Kaiser $18,000 in connection with the incident, KTVU reported.

Kaiser said leadership probed how best to respond to the incident, put warning signs near the MRI room and alerted department managers, according to the Post, which reported the health provider said it had cooperated with investigators and taken various steps to improve MRI safety.