Raul Galvez, MD, is a pediatric radiologist at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Phoenix and has seen his fair share of out-of-the-ordinary x-rays while working at the level 1 trauma center.
Fox 10 in Phoenix spoke with Galvez, who says some of the most frequent accidents happen and memorable x-rays happen in rural areas, where construction is common. He’s seen such things as accidental amputations and nails or staples going through a patient’s extremities.
More common, however, are x-rays of children who’ve swallowed dangerous items, such as magnets and button batteries. Another item Galvez has seen is soda tabs, which are appearing more often on images, he said to Fox 10.
“Soda tabs, the detachable tabs. There's a call by numerous medical societies to remove those from the cans to create another mechanism, because the number of soda can tabs being swallowed are increasing because they're small and easy to put into your mouth," Galvez said.
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.