MRI Health Risk: "Doctors Said the Dye caused Kidney Failure"

Albuquerque, NMEighteen months ago, Norm C. was very healthy and active. But he took a turn for the worse and ended up in hospital where he was injected with a gadolinium based contrast agent (like a dye) and had an MRI to determine what was wrong. Turns out, the dye just about killed him.

"I fell down for no reason and my wife took me to ER," says Norm, who was 81 at the time. "I was in the hospital for six days with a raging fever??"it was over 105 and I was almost in a coma. Living in this area, the doctors thought it was one of those rare diseases caused by mouse droppings. But that wasn't the case.

"They gave me the MRI dye injection and around 2am I had the MRI. Turns out, I had a rare form of pneumonia so I was given antibiotics and released two days later, but I was so weak that I needed a walker. I hadn't been home more than a few days when I collapsed and broke my right ankle in two places.

My wife took me back to ER and while they were operating on my ankle, she was asked what was being done about my kidney failure. This stunned my wife because she now understood why I was deteriorating so rapidly. Now wonder I felt miserable. I had kidney stones before but never any kidney problems whatsoever.

It turns out that I had 15 percent kidney function. After the hospital, I had to stay at a nursing home for a while. They didn't talk about dialysis but I was really sick and lost 47 lbs. I damn near died.

My wife is tremendously upset, especially because her previous husband died from kidney cancer. Fortunately, she personally knew the doctor who took care of him and asked this doctor's advice about me. This doctor immediately told my wife--and the doctor treating me concurred-- it was because of the MRI dye. Both said without any doubt, there was no other reason, that the MRI dye caused my kidney failure.

Even though I was so doped up with the pain in my ankle and the pneumonia, I was stunned with this news. However, my wife was furious: furious at the hospital for not telling us about the dye; furious with the doctors for giving it to me. My wife is a clinical psychologist so she took charge and moved into the hospital; she stayed in the room with me the entire time I was there.

Of course my wife and I had no inkling that this would happen. We both assumed that I needed this contrast agent for the MRI. I am a retired military guy so that allows me to go to the VA. I had an MRI there just last week (I've been having a few black-outs lately) and I asked them if I needed to get the dye because I was allergic to it. The VA doctor said, 'We don't need it.' Did they need it at the other hospital?

That dye is dangerous. This isn't right because they should have said something to us. They knew I was allergic to statins and sulpha drugs. At least they could have told us that I was getting it, or asked if I even wanted it.

I feel OK now and my kidneys are operating at 50 percent; I can handle that. I was sick enough before I got to the hospital, but adding that dye, phew. You go to a hospital to be taken care of, not to be killed. My wife said, 'Boy, did you ever fight.' She says I'm meaner than ever.

Somebody needs to put a stop to this dye business or come up with something to pre-test patients before they undergo an MRI. I don't expect monetary compensation but I want to tell people about the risks involved with an MRI because it shouldn't be allowed to happen. How can this [contrast agent] get on the market? I guess you look at the bottom line??"money."