Hundreds of people were subjected to radiation overdoses last year at hospitals in California, Florida, Arkansas and other states. However, new information suggests that the number of those radiation overdoses may have been grossly underestimated - as well as the serious nature of the resulting radiation overdose side effects. It is now being reported that in addition to bizarre hair loss patterns, radiation overdose patients may have a greater risk of developing cancer and suffering both eye and brain damage.
Although the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) investigated the matter last year, it has yet to provide further details about CT brain perfusion scans which provided several times more radiation than was required. However, according to a recent New York Timesinvestigation, the number and severity of radiation overdoses - which reportedly affected 400 patients at eight hospitals nationwide - is likely much higher than previously thought. So, who's to blame in radiation overdose lawsuits?
According to the Times,technicians had been thought to be at the root of the problem because they didn't know how to use the equipment properly. However, Times investigators now report that manufacturers such as GE Healthcare and Toshiba may also be to blame for manufacturing faulty equipment and failing to properly train those who use it and hospitals themselves who ignored the FDA's request to monitor radiation overdose issues.
Radiation overdose side effects and risks may include:
According to radiation overdose attorneys, many patients have developed these side effects, but have not linked their injuries to radiation overdoes. In fact, they say that even some doctors have not recognized their patients' radiation overdose side effects and that many patients simply didn't know what to make of their sudden hair loss until reading about instances of radiation overdose in the newspaper.
Radiation overdose lawyers say that more and more radiation overdose lawsuits will be filed as patients continue to discover that their injuries were caused by a CT scan and that radiation overdose in general is likely much more common than currently known. They point to the radiation overdose class action lawsuit currently pending against Lester E. Cox Medical Centers for providing patients with excessive radiation from its BrainLAB stereotactic radiation therapy system.
If you believe that you may have received a radiation overdose, contact a radiation overdose attorney right away to discuss your situation and determine if you might be entitled to compensation for your injuries.