While shopping one day in a suburban mall, a 58-year-old woman noticed a radiology imaging center that displayed multicolored posters that invited the public to "Walk in now for a CT screening of your body; no appointment necessary." The patient entered the CT facility and agreed to undergo a body scan immediately. A technologist in the facility took the patient into a waiting area and proceeded to show her a 10-min video that explained the purpose for the scan, how the CT equipment functioned, and the various conditions that could be diagnosed by CT. Toward the end of the video, a radiologist appeared on the television monitor to explain that contrast media would be administered and the reasons for doing so. The radiologist informed the viewers that they were going to be asked to sign a form consenting to the administration of contrast media, but he admonished them to tell the technologist if they had any major allergies or a history of reactions to previously administered contrast media. At the conclusion of the video, the patient signed the consent form and proceeded to undergo the CT examination.
After the noninfusion images had been obtained, a technologist administered IV 100 mL
of a nonionic contrast agent. Additional CT images were then obtained, after which the patient was asked to sit up and get off the table. As she stood up and began walking away from the table, the woman suddenly complained that she couldnt breath and then collapsed onto the floor. The radiologist, who had been in another room, came immediately to aid the patient, and paramedics were quickly summoned by telephone. Efforts to resuscitate the patient were initiated by the radiologist and his staff and then continued when paramedics arrived. Nevertheless, the patient died. A later autopsy conducted by the medical examiner attributed the cause of death to "anaphylactic reaction to contrast media."
Eight months later the family of the deceased filed a lawsuit against the radiologist alleging negligence for "inappropriate use of contrast agents."