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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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A man died on Thursday from his injuries after the chain around his neck caused him to be pulled into a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine at a medical building in Westbury, New York.
Newsweek has contacted the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) for comment.
Why It Matters
An MRI is a noninvasive imaging technology that uses powerful magnets to produce detailed anatomical images, often for detecting disease, determining a diagnosis and assessing treatment.
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Injuries and deaths linked with MRI machines are rare, but staff at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island told CBS New York that patients are advised to remove jewelry as well as electrical and other metal objects before getting a scan.
Charles Winterfeldt, the hospital's director of imaging services, told CBS New York that "it would act like a torpedo trying to get into the middle of the center of the magnet."
Payal Sud, a doctor at the hospital, added that the potential dangers "could be catastrophic." A chain getting wrapped around the neck could cause strangulation injuries, asphyxiation and cervical spine injuries, he added.
What To Know
Officers responded to a 911 call at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday following the incident at Nassau Open MRI, a medical building on Old Country Road in Westbury.
Police were told that 61-year-old Keith McAllister was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck and had entered an MRI room while a scan was in progress.
The chain around McAllister's neck caused him "to be drawn into the machine which resulted in a medical episode," the police said. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead a day later after succumbing to his injuries.
His wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, told local outlet News 12 that she was getting an MRI scan on her knee and needed help getting up.
She asked the technician to get her husband who was brought into the room. McAllister was wearing a 20-pound chain around his neck with a large lock which he used for weight training.
When he got close to his wife to help her up, the machine pulled him in. Jones-McAllister and the technician tried to free him but to no avail. She said her husband had worn the chain at the medical center before.
She said he suffered several heart attacks after the incident. "I loved him so much," Jones-McAllister told News 12.
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What People Are Saying
Nassau County Police Department said in a statement: "The male victim was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck causing him to be drawn into the machine which resulted in a medical episode."
Adrienne Jones-McAllister told News 12 about her husband: "He waved goodbye to me, and his whole body went limp."
Payal Sud, a doctor at North Shore University Hospital, told CBS New York about the risks of not following MRI protocols: "The dangers could be catastrophic and it underscores why we have all the safety precautions in place."
What Happens Next?
The NCPD's homicide squad is investigating the incident.
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