Patient Left Alone in MRI Scanner For Six Hours, 2 Hospital Staffers Suspended

A patient at Wuhan's Tongji Hospital spent roughly six hours trapped inside an MRI scanner after staff failed to check he was still in the room, the hospital said in a statement released today.

It has apologized to the patient and suspended two staff members.

The patient, surnamed Tang, underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan in the early hours of February 26, according to The Paper. He later said he remained on the scanner bed for roughly six hours after the examination, repeatedly calling for help. He was eventually discovered by a cleaning worker in the morning.

Tang said he considered trying to free himself but did not dare to move because the machine was still running, leaving him to continue calling out for assistance.

A doctor involved in the case said on March 12 that she had secured Tang on the MRI table before being called away by a team leader to handle another task. She said she informed a colleague taking over the shift that the patient was still in the scanning room, but the colleague failed to check whether anyone remained on the machine.

Tang has expressed concern about whether the prolonged time in the scanner could have any impact on his health. Medical experts generally consider MRI exposure safe, as the machines use magnetic fields rather than radiation. The hospital said it is continuing to handle the matter.