Hospital and medical errors can result in serious personal injury to patients who already come in sick and in need of skilled care. These are usually incidents that can be easily prevented and occur because of someone's negligence. A recent episode at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is an example of how things can go horribly wrong in hospitals.

According to a Los Angeles Times news report, the hospital reset a CT scan machine in February 2008 after which more than 200 brain scans on potential stroke patients were performed at eight times the normal dose of radiation. Numerous radiation overdoses at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have apparently been traced to a single cause -- a hospital error that occurred when the CT scanner was reset. Hospital officials said the error was caused by a "misunderstanding about an embedded default setting applied by the machine." The result? Each patient who got the procedure done at the hospital got a dose of radiation that was eight times what it should have been.

Hospital Error Goes Undetected for 18 Months

What was worse is that the error went unnoticed for 18 months when a patient reported back to the hospital saying that he had begin losing his hair after a scan. That's when hospital officials realized what had happened. Officials then reviewed their records and contacted 206 people who had received the overdose. General Electric, the manufacturer of the CT scanner, has announced that their product does not have malfunctions or product defects. About 40 percent of those treated with excess radiation here reported that they had suffered patchy hair loss after getting the scans. Many also said they experienced reddening of the skin.

Another recent report indicates that the hospital did not tell 206 patients who received the radiation overdose that it was caused as a result of the hospital's error. No one even bothered to explain to these patients that they had been exposed to the high level of radiation although these patients were questioned by staff about what effects they were feeling.

This is an appalling error on the part of the hospital. Excess radiation can have devastating consequences including the likelihood of cancer. The fact that they did not tell the patients exactly what was going on is inexcusable.

Radiation Overdoses Have Serious Health Effects

There is no question that radiation overdoses during CT scans and other types of diagnostic medical procedures have been an area of increasing concern for the FDA. A recent medical study in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that younger individuals are also at increased risk of developing deadly cancers as an effect of undergoing such medical imaging procedures. Also, if patients receive doses of radiation that are higher than the expected level but not high enough to show obvious signs or symptoms of a radiation injury, the problem may go undetected and unreported. This puts patients at an increased risk for long-term radiation effects, according to the FDA alert.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or affected by radiation exposure or radiation overdose, you would be well-advised to consult with an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will be able to determine whether it occurred as a result of medical negligence or a defective product. If a death has occurred as a result of such negligence, families of deceased victims may be able to file a wrongful death claim against the hospital or the manufacturer of the defective product.

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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