Patients at Cedars-Sinai Receive Radiation Overdose; Hospital Fails to Inform All Affected

Greg Owen

Attorney

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Four patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who received eight times the necessary amount of radiation were not informed of the hospital's error. Of the 206 patients who received radiation overdose, at least four were called and asked only about hair loss or other side effects. Those four interviewed by the Los Angeles Times reported only hearing of the error through news media.

The treatments occured between the months of February 2008 when computer protocols were modified on a specific scanner and continued until August 2009 when a patient reported hair loss. The reconfiguration was made in order to improve the ability to see blood flow to the brain.

Although the machine in question was used to perform various types of scans, the problem was limited to CT brain perfusion scans, which are used to diagnose strokes.

In a written statement Monday, Dr. Barry D. Pressman, chairman of the imaging department, said that his goal in speaking with patients was "to address any side-effects that may occur, without unnecessarily alarming them."

He said that any questions, including those about radiation levels, were addressed. "I sincerely regret if any patient feels that they did not receive the information they needed," he said.

The most severe side effect of the overdose is a brain tumor, though the chance is remote. Younger patients who received multiply scans are at highest risk as the risk of radiation is cumulative.

The discovery of the overdoses at Cedars-Sinai prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue an alert warning hospitals nationwide to check the settings on their scanners.