Posted on 08/24/2004 9:20:46 PM PDT by Edit35
Several months ago, John Kerry fell off his bicycle while riding in Boston, and subsequently told reporters that he got an MRI just as a precaution.
Now, considering that he also claims to have shrapnel in his leg from Vietnam, doesn't it make an MRI impossible due to the metal's magnetic interference.
This is my first vanity post, so forgive me. But I just heard WPHT radio host Rolleye James talking about the impossibility of Kerry getting an MRI with metal in his leg, and I thought I post the info.
I never had an MRI so I'm not sure.
"This twisting can be disastrous, if ... they crush or pierce vital tissues or organs."
While kerry's derriere is vital to him (it must contain the CPU he thinks with), twisting of shrapnel in it might be less then fatal.
Purposely posted twice so it will be on top portion of posts numbers 101-200.
80% of mine are gold..That's definately a metal, I think...some of the rest are the old silver amalgum (sp) fillings. I have never had an MRI, but thanks for the info.
MRI Hazards The American Journal of Roentgenology has reported on lethal incidents occurring in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suites in US hospitals. These incidents are not side-effects of the procedure per se, but flying objects strongly attracted to the magnetic force of the MRI.
Objects flying through the air have included ferromagnetic nitrous oxide or oxygen tanks, a defibrillator, a wheelchair, a respirator, ankle weights, a tool box, a vacuum cleaner, and mop buckets. The objects are attracted to the magnet with such force they become projectiles.
The authors of the study, from the University of Texas, believe it is likely that such incidents are under-reported and that they may be increasing.
Human error and failure to follow safety policies were cited as common causes of the accidents. The authors propose controlled entry to imaging facilities.
Source: American Journal of Roentgenology 2001; 177(1): 27-30.
Was that the first or third purple heart? The first caused a piece of rock to come back and strike him. The third supposedly was a piece of rice although that is a theory. I don't know about the second or what really happened with the third, so I just offered a comment with no context as to the actual events.
Welcome to Free republic mriguy67, Thanks for the info
Cheers,
Mike
I cannot find any link saying Kerry had an MRI after the event.
No MRI if you have any metal in you (shrapnel, braces, pins, etc.)
Non ferrous metal is okay. You can have fillings and silver & gold crowns & such.
Shrapnel (from a grenade) is the steel fragemnts from around the grenade body.
Lead ONLY is only found in the tip of a bullet, which is NOT what (supposedly) wounded Kerry.
He apparently broke his collarbone and some ribs in a 1992 bike accident. I don't know where it happened, Washington or Boston, and couldn't find anything from 1992 in the databases I searched. Maybe someone who has access to Boston papers from that time can search for info.
Freepers ROCK .. there is always someone here that knows the answer
Welcome to FR mriguy67
Not true: The metal in even old-style metal fillings CANNOT be magnetic, else they'ed rust from the saliva.
Mouth fillings are non-magnetic, and so don't react to the lines of magnetic force.
I have permanent bridge work and many fillings, have also had many MRI's from head to tailbone.
Yup
I've had them rip pens out of my pockets before, but they are becoming better shielded every year with the newer models.
The better sheilded magnets are actually more dangerous mostly because the lines of attraction are so close to the magnet that you could not pull something back out if it started getting pulled in. They are making sheilded magnets mostly because they dont have to prep the mri scan room so much which reduces construction costs. If the shrapnel is rice you probably wouldnt see it. If there are tiny metallic flakes along with the rice, those would show up. All I can say is if you are having pens rip out of you pocket and they are flying into the magnet at 60mph I wouldnt want to be your patient in the magnet when it flys in. A 1.5 tesla magnet is 30,000 times stronger than the earth's magnetic field. A sheilded magnet doesnt allow you to 'catch' it as it is pulled in because the flux lines of the field are so close together. Sorry if I got too technical, but just trying to educate a few people on MRI.
Dr.'s Howard, Howard, and Fien, who treated Kerry in the ER were quoted as saying, "The guy demanded an MRI for falling off a bike as a precaution. We had to give him a sticker before he was willing to leave. What a weenie."
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