Woman dies after metal detector causes pacemaker to malfunction

[Hum]

In a tragic accident, the electromagnetic waves from an airport metal detector caused a woman?s pacemaker to malfunction and kill her, Central European News (CEN) reported.

Diana Tolstova, 30, collapsed in the arms of her husband, Maxim, 33, after passing through the detector at Ulan-Ude airport in the Republic of Buryatia in Southern Russia.

Airport medics were called, but they did not respond in time.

?We were standing at the security gates and I had given them papers showing Diana was on a pacemaker,? Maxim told CEN. ?I don?t know what happened, but she went through it anyway.?

When the couple arrived at their departure gate, Diana began to feel dizzy and suddenly collapsed. When doctors arrived, they were unsure what to do.

"They didn?t give her any first aid and they didn?t call an ambulance,? Maxim said.

?Security and airport personnel are given strict instructions about how to handle people with pacemakers, and we warn them never to let a wearer go through a metal detector,? an airport spokesman said.

?In normal circumstances, they see their papers and let them pass. In this case, the patient seems to either have forgotten about it, didn?t know or became confused by the airport security arrangements,? he said. ?But every patient receives a strict warning.?

Maxim held onto his wife after she collapsed.

"My beautiful Diana died in my arms,? he said.

source

[DocM]

I see a lawsuit coming if there weren't LARGE warning signs about pacemakers. Not to mention the apparently lousy emergency response.

[Hussam Al-tayeb]

That is very sad indeed.

[Dick Montage]

How genuinely upsetting

[Nagisan]

I see a lawsuit coming if there weren't LARGE warning signs about pacemakers. Not to mention the apparently lousy emergency response.

I can see one for the lack of emergency response, but her and her husband both knew of the issues (she may have forgotten but her husband had given security the pacemaker paperwork so she didn't have to go through the metal detector), yet she went through completely of her own will.

 

It's a sad story indeed, but her passing through the metal detector was her own doing (she was not forced or anything), so IMO there is no lawsuit aside from the lack of proper response after the fact.

[Hum]

Reminds me to buy heavy duty aluminum foil ....

[Memphis]

I see a lawsuit coming if there weren't LARGE warning signs about pacemakers. Not to mention the apparently lousy emergency response.

I don't, patient education regarding medication and implanted devices is part of discharge instructions by the nurse. Its not the airports job, its the nurses job upon discharge. Their is a lawsuit possible only if it can be proven the hospital did not educated her about this possibility when discharged from getting the pacemaker.

[DocM]

Or if the RF regulating authority had a posted warning requirement on such hardware that wasn't met.

[FloatingFatMan]

Or if the RF regulating authority had a posted warning requirement on such hardware that wasn't met.

 

Assuming such a requirement actually exists in Russia, of course.

 

 

And that it was posted in English...

[+Warwagon MVC]