Lawyers and Law

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines are highly powerful and useful tools in the medical field. They allow medical professionals to create images showing internal injuries and abnormalities that are not visible from outside a patient’s body. In the past, doctors had no choice but to perform surgery to find an internal problem. Today the process is safer and much less invasive.

Even MRI scans, however, are not without risk. To produce a sharp and clear enough image, patients must be injected with a contrast agent prior to the scan. The contrast agent contains gadolinium, a metal element that helps abnormalities to show up better in the images. Gadolinium can be toxic to humans, but typically it is filtered out through the kidneys before it can cause any harm. If a patient’s kidneys are not working properly, however, the gadolinium may remain in the body and poison the patient.

Gadolinium Poisoning

When a patient’s kidneys are not functional, they may fail to remove the gadolinium safely from the body. Gadolinium has a harmful effect on humans if it remains in the body for an extended period of time. It can cause a patient to develop Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), which leads to thick scar tissue to develop on the skin, joints, eyes, and internal organs. It can severely injure a patient or even lead to death by restricting movement or leading to organ failure.

Suing for Medical Malpractice

Doctors have a responsibility to review a patient’s medical history and prescribe treatments and scans that will do little to no harm to the patient. If a doctor overlooks a patient’s kidney condition and allows him or her to be injected with a MRI contrast agent containing gadolinium, the physician may be liable for any injuries that result. The patient may have grounds to initiate a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor responsible, and may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages from time off of work, treatment costs, medication expenses, and pain and suffering.