How accurate is the 'Final Destination Bloodlines' MRI scene?

How accurate is the 'Final Destination Bloodlines' MRI scene? A story published May 17 on Today.com explores the question, noting that MR imaging is safe for patients, but acknowledging that accidents do happen.

The film "Final Destination Bloodlines" was released May 16 and includes a scene in which the main characters, Bobby and Erik, get trapped in an MRI scanner -- with horrific results. The article, called "Just how plausible was that 'Final Destination Bloodlines' MRI scene?" describes the technology of MR imaging and outlines its safety concerns -- namely, the introduction of metal into the suite or the system.

MRI machines use magnets to image the body, and that's why any metal in or around the machine can cause problems. Accidents in MRI scanners have occurred regularly over the years, with one of the most distressing being the 2001 death of 6-year-old Michael Colombini in New York. But even last year, a wheelchair was "sucked across the room" by a magnet in California, "narrowly missing the patient."

In an effort to avoid MRI accidents, professional radiology organizations such as the American College of Radiology (ACR) have written and released guidance for MRI safety, the most recent being in April.

In any case, moviegoers should not avoid MR imaging due to safety concerns, according to one of the film's directors, Zach Lipovsky.

"We debated the ethics of putting (the MRI) scene in the movie (for) a long time … but the scene was continuously everyone's favorite, and so we ultimately decided to put it in," he told Today. "But we do want people to go to their MRI appointments. It is actually incredibly safe."