A horrifying accident was reported by KTVU, which occurred at Redwood City Medical Center in Redwood City. In this incident, a nurse named Ainah Cervantes was crushed in an MRI machine. She suffered injuries, including a severe laceration that required surgery, including the removal of two embedded screws. The incident took place in February, but the investigation was not completed until several months later. The Medical Center is operated by California-based Kaiser Permanente.
The accident occurred when Cervantes was supervising the patient. The machine's magnetic force pulled the bed towards it, causing the patient on the bed to fall off during the accident, leaving him uninjured. However, the nurse was trapped between the bed and the machine, suffering crushing injuries. "I was getting pushed by the bed," said Ainah to the investigators in a report conducted by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. She also mentioned, "Basically, I was running backward. If I didn't run, the bed would smash me underneath."
The California Department of Public Health further investigated and uncovered that the Redwood City Center is not securely providing sufficient radiological services. It exposed several missteps that led to the accident, breaching several MRI safety protocols of Kaiser's. As per the investigation, nobody, including the patient, underwent a check before entering the room, and there were no MRI personnel present. The door to the room was left open, and the safety alarm was not functioning. Some employees are not even trained, and all of this raises safety concerns.
Sheila Gilson, the Vice President of Kaiser Permanente San Mateo, stated that the teams responded quickly after the mishap and immediately received care and assistance. She also stated, "This was a rare occurrence, but we are not satisfied until we understand why an accident occurs and implement changes to prevent it from occurring again," according to the New York Post.
Kaiser Permanente is facing an $18,000 fine from Cal/OSHA for possible missteps and workplace injuries.
(Input from various media sources)
(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina)
