The California personal injury lawyers at BISNAR | CHASE are extremely concerned about this news report that 10 stroke patients were overexposed to radiation when they got CT scans at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. According to an article in the Glendale News Press, the patients received three to four times the normal dose of radiation during a triple imaging brain exam using a General Electric manufactured CT scan machine.
Radiation Overexposure Affects 10 Patients
The problem was discovered by California Department of Public Health officials who were auditing the hospital's CT scan protocols. Recently, state health officials also found that about 260 patients suffered from overexposure to radiation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The hospital is continuing to use the machine because of the need to perform important brain scans, but have discontinued using the triple imaging scans, which apparently caused the overexposure. Hospital spokespersons said they have notified the 10 patients who were overexposed. One of the patients apparently died in October. Hospital officials are saying that the death was caused by an "unrelated illness." But state officials are not saying whether that death is being investigated in connection with the radiation overdoses.
The new protocols, which led to the overexposure in 10 patients, were implemented in January and basically combine three types of brain imaging procedures for simultaneous scan. The rationale behind using these new protocols was that it would make the diagnostic process much quicker for stroke patients for whom timing is critical.
Radiation Exposure Can Have Long-Term Effects
Radiation overdoses during CT scans and other types of diagnostic medical procedures have been an area of increasing concern for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, younger individuals are also at increased risk of developing deadly cancers as an effect of undergoing such medical imaging procedures. Also, an FDA alert states that if patients receive doses of radiation higher than an expected level but not high enough to show obvious signs of a radiation injury, the problem may go undetected and increase patients' risk for long-term radiation effects such as cancer.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of radiation overexposure either as a result of a defective product or hospital error or negligence, please consult with an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will be able to advise you about your legal rights and options. If the overexposure results in death, families of deceased victims may be able to file a wrongful death claim against the negligent parties to seek damages.
The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.
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Dottie said:
Thanks for sharing this. Medical malpractice hurts so many innocent people!
Desters1522 said:
I am hoping and praying to God that this information is wrong. My best friend has been exposed to over 200 x-rays and i can't lose her. She's like my sister. And my little sister has already died and I can't handle losing another one. I would hope that they wouldn't be so vague on the radiation and that they could go in depth a little more to help their readers get a better understanding on the subject.