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LA hospital: Error caused 206 radiation overdoses
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-13 16:16

LOS ANGELES: Hospital officials say a computer-resetting error caused radiation overdoses for 206 patients who underwent CT scans at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

In a written statement Monday, hospital officials said "a misunderstanding about an embedded default setting applied by the machine" resulted in a higher than expected amount of radiation.

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Officials say the 206 patients received eight times the normal dose of radiation -- an error that went undetected for 18 months. A hospital spokesman says about 40 percent of the patients lost patches of hair as a result.

The scanners' manufacturer, General Electric, says the machine was not defective.

As a result of the discovery, the FDA issued an alert Thursday urging hospitals nationwide to review their safety protocols for CT scans.