Health scans seen as risky in wake of ct radiation overdose case

Miami, FLMedical science has provided modern man with many tests to better facilitate preventative health care, yet some of these tests - notably the CT brain scan – may potentially be more harmful to the patient in the long run.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">In a recent article in the Miami Herald, doctors warn that medical exams involving radiation should only be used in extreme circumstances, as undue exposure to these machines can lead to any number of debilitating side effects.

"(CT scans are) being used for all sorts of diagnostic purposes not envisioned in the past, such as detecting heart disease, and virtual colonoscopies,'' Dr. Jeffrey Neitlich, chairman of the department of radiology at a south Florida hospital tells the Herald. "Patients shouldn't be scared away from CT scans if they need them, but shouldn't have them routinely."

The FDA has recently issued a warning on the scans, after a recent incident where 206 patients at Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai hospital were diagnosed with ct radiation overdoses over the course of 18 months.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Radiation poisoning can lead to tissue damage resulting in hair loss, bloody vomit and stool, and is potentially fatal.