MUMBAI, INDIA - A man died after being sucked into an MRI machine while carrying an oxygen tank.
Rajesh Maruti Maru, 32, was with his family member, Laxmi Solanki, on her visit to Nair Municipal Hospital. He was carrying Solanki's oxygen tank, a job that should have been done by hospital employees.
The magnetic force of the MRI machine pulled the oxygen tank and Maru in, trapping him. The tank leaked and he overdosed on oxygen.
The Indian Express reported Monday that three people were arrested and police filed a case as "death by negligence."
The machine's magnetic force is extremely powerful. Jignesh Thakker, the general secretary of the Indian Radiological & Imaging Association, said "We usually have to call in the company technician if anything gets sucked into the MRI machine, the impact is such. It is not easy to pull anything out immediately."
USA Today reported that Harish Solanki, another relative, was also on the hospital visit. They were instructed by one employee to remove their belts and other metallic objects because of the magnetic capabilities of the machine. Solanki said the ward boy told Maru to carry the oxygen tank in because Solanki would need it.
Solankitold the Times of India, "We hesitated and my niece Priyanka even mentioned that the cylinder was metallic. But the ward (assistant) said the machine wasn't on. Maru took the cylinder in, which was sucked into the machine by its magnetic force. Maru got dragged along."
The hospital and police are investigating the incident. Employees said that the oxygen tank's knob broke open, causing the leak and Maru to inhale extreme amounts of oxygen.
The family pulled Maru down, but he was swollen and bloody. They rushed him to the emergency room where he was pronounced dead.
Supposedly the family was not given any instructions or told not to go too close to the machine. Priyanka, Maru's sister, said, “No one gave us instructions. How will we know what to do?”
Senior Police Inspector Savalaram Agawane said, "The ward boy or doctor should have also told the family not to take the oxygen cylinder close to the machine."
