Shocked by CT machine

I’m a radiology director and my CT machine has been shutting down and tripping breakers for two months. Maintenance says it’s a problem with the equipment/the vendor says it’s a problem with our CT suite and the electrical system. The other day it was down and I went to flip the tripped breakers in the power cabinet that controls the CT. As soon as I touched the breaker it shocked the $&@$ out of me and I even felt it in my heart. I didn’t feel right and went to urgent care to be seen and they told me that I needed to go to the ER. The ER ran tests and let me go but I was so out of it that I didn’t think to ask about long term effects. Does anyone know if this type of thing causes problems going forward? It’s been a week and I still feel off.

I'd seek a 2nd opinion, follow up with your primary care doctor etc. Electricity does bad things to the body.

@James Snover What are your thoughts regarding this CT machine. Should it be locked out/tagged out till repaired?

Sounds like you got hit with a runaway voltage caused by the CT in the amount thats just heavy static shock (by touching the breaker only) usually if you get stuck on a circuit, meaning grounding out through your body for an extended period (10ish+ seconds) then they hook you up and monitor your heart rate but you are more than likely just fine.

Whats the voltage on that breaker? 120/208, 347/600? Could be faulty grounding/bonding. Ive never worked on a CT but lots of times thats what happens with motorized equipment. If its not bonded or if there is an open neutral or hot connection

snakedoctor said:

I’m a radiology director and my CT machine has been shutting down and tripping breakers for two months. Maintenance says it’s a problem with the equipment/the vendor says it’s a problem with our CT suite and the electrical system. The other day it was down and I went to flip the tripped breakers in the power cabinet that controls the CT. As soon as I touched the breaker it shocked the $&@$ out of me and I even felt it in my heart. I didn’t feel right and went to urgent care to be seen and they told me that I needed to go to the ER. The ER ran tests and let me go but I was so out of it that I didn’t think to ask about long term effects. Does anyone know if this type of thing causes problems going forward? It’s been a week and I still feel off.

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You need to know if there’s been a shift from the time you last had an EKG until now. I’m not sure what the fix is if said “shift” is detected, but I’ve had some doozies during my career in the Navy. Good luck.

snakedoctor said:

I’m a radiology director and my CT machine has been shutting down and tripping breakers for two months. Maintenance says it’s a problem with the equipment/the vendor says it’s a problem with our CT suite and the electrical system. The other day it was down and I went to flip the tripped breakers in the power cabinet that controls the CT. As soon as I touched the breaker it shocked the $&@$ out of me and I even felt it in my heart. I didn’t feel right and went to urgent care to be seen and they told me that I needed to go to the ER. The ER ran tests and let me go but I was so out of it that I didn’t think to ask about long term effects. Does anyone know if this type of thing causes problems going forward? It’s been a week and I still feel off.

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Do you have a new urge to do cardio exercises instead of lifting weights? Or leaning a rim against a Terminator? Or writing a 17 page report about anything?

If not you should be okay. But watch out for any of those symptoms. Those are the first signs of liberalism.

If you don't get super powers from this I would be pissed!

Best way to help discharge any pent up electricity still in your system is to help try and jumpstart a few cars. By the second car, you should be GTG.

Sounds like a job for @James Snover

1.) I'd have an EKG taken every few days to look for any changes developing. That's not medical,advice, because I'm not a doc. Just a guy who is 57 and has been shocked a lot and still here. Odds are you are ok, but 480-3phase AC is an unforgiving bitch. If there was 480 on that switch when you touched it, then you are lucky as Hell to even still be here on this side of the grass!

2.) On the machine: Shut it down! call facilities, tell them what happened, and have them cut the power further up the line that goes to that breaker. Then have facilities test everything on their side. Leave the machine off, breaker tripped, and turn the up-line power back on. Then have your facilities guys measure that switch with a meter for voltage. If it is good, have the facilities guys turn it on, measure it all again. Watch what they do. If they use a board or a stick, that means there is some doubt in their minds.

If the electrical checks out, start yelling at the vendor.

Some systems, the breaker belongs to the vendor, but is the responsibility of facilities to maintain. Find out who owns it and start yelling at them!

Glad you weren't hurt too badly, and good luck!


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James Snover said:

1.) I'd have an EKG taken every few days to look for any changes developing. That's not medical,advice, because I'm not a doc. Just a guy who is 57 and has been shocked a lot and still here. Odds are you are ok, but 480-3phase AC is an unforgiving bitch. If there was 480 on that switch when you touched it, then you are lucky as Hell to even still be here on this side of the grass!

2.) On the machine: Shut it down! call facilities, tell them what happened, and have them cut the power further up the line that goes to that breaker. Then have facilities test everything on their side. Leave the machine off, breaker tripped, and turn the up-line power back on. Then have your facilities guys measure that switch with a meter for voltage. If it is good, have the facilities guys turn it on, measure it all again. Watch what they do. If they use a board or a stick, that means there is some doubt in their minds.

If the electrical checks out, start yelling at the vendor.

Some systems, the breaker belongs to the vendor, but is the responsibility of facilities to maintain. Find out who owns it and start yelling at them!

Glad you weren't hurt too badly, and good luck!


Sent from my iPad using svtperformance.com

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I would be down right flabbergasted if that disconnect was not grounded... If its grounded, it does not have line voltage on it, especially all 3 phases at once, an almost impossible scenario.

Ive seen it sooo many times where people think they are getting a huge shock but it reality its mostly in their head (understandable if you are not familiar with the physics of it).

I wish I was the electrician on that call.

Op, is it possible to get a pic of what you touched exactly? I am curious

CT services have been shut down until they can find the problem. The vendor has put some kind of monitor on the electrical system to monitor it for 2 to 4 weeks. I really think it’s the building. Just found out before the incident that the CT draws up to 200amps and they had it on an 150amp breaker. They had just had that upgraded to a 200 amp before the incident and now I’m being told that they should’ve upgraded it to a 240 amp.

snakedoctor said:

I’m a radiology director and my CT machine has been shutting down and tripping breakers for two months. Maintenance says it’s a problem with the equipment/the vendor says it’s a problem with our CT suite and the electrical system. The other day it was down and I went to flip the tripped breakers in the power cabinet that controls the CT. As soon as I touched the breaker it shocked the $&@$ out of me and I even felt it in my heart. I didn’t feel right and went to urgent care to be seen and they told me that I needed to go to the ER. The ER ran tests and let me go but I was so out of it that I didn’t think to ask about long term effects. Does anyone know if this type of thing causes problems going forward? It’s been a week and I still feel off.

Click to expand...

First - glad you are still above ground.

As was said, SHUT DOWN THAT MACHINE! The next person may not be so lucky.

I would seek a heart doctor’s opinion from an unaffiliated practice.

James Snover said:

2.) On the machine: Shut it down! call facilities, tell them what happened, and have them cut the power further up the line that goes to that breaker. Then have facilities test everything on their side. Leave the machine off, breaker tripped, and turn the up-line power back on. Then have your facilities guys measure that switch with a meter for voltage. If it is good, have the facilities guys turn it on, measure it all again. Watch what they do. If they use a board or a stick, that means there is some doubt in their minds.

If the electrical checks out, start yelling at the vendor.

Some systems, the breaker belongs to the vendor, but is the responsibility of facilities to maintain. Find out who owns it and start yelling at them!

Click to expand...

This. IQ/OQ procedures vary from facility to facility.

Also, make sure it was a recorded incident. I know it sounds like a blindingly obvious thing, but I have dealt with several cases in which the incident was not properly reported and expenses related to medical care were routed to the employee. Paperwork isn't usually the first thing that people complete when someone is injured...

Regarding the shock, can you describe the "off" feeling? When I got nailed by 250kv back in 09 or so, I remember having a weird "flushed" feeling for a while, like overheating while sitting in front of an A/C (sweating, air hitting you is cold, but you're still boiling hot). It went away over time.

snakedoctor said:

CT services have been shut down until they can find the problem. The vendor has put some kind of monitor on the electrical system to monitor it for 2 to 4 weeks. I really think it’s the building. Just found out before the incident that the CT draws up to 200amps and they had it on an 150amp breaker. They had just had that upgraded to a 200 amp before the incident and now I’m being told that they should’ve upgraded it to a 240 amp.

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Facilities usually owns power up to the equipment specific breaker which can be on the machine itself or on a wall usually in/near the vault depending on the equipment and/or manufacturer. The power monitor offered by the vendor is usually done to identify if power usage/availability is in line with manufacturer's specs (sometimes used to help identify poor equipment performance in older buildings or cities with power grid issues).

Not sure how the breaker upgrade was handled but it's always a good idea to request a Project Manager (or at least a Senior Field Service Engineer) from the OEM to ensure things like this aren't overlooked. Sometimes an equipment upgrade will require facilities upgrades as well which can be missed if the right people aren't involved. Also helps with holding the right people accountable when things like this happen.

Assuming there is a service agreement in place it should identify at what point the vendor is responsible for power/maintenance. Just a heads up though, some third party vendors will limit what they cover when compared to an OEM contract.

I use to work as a District Service Manager for a large medical equipment manufacturer so feel free to shoot me a PM if the vendor gives you a hard time or if you have any other questions.

110 is polite electricity, it gives you warnings before it kills you. Above that it gets more and more rude. Our 980 DC is just a downright bitch, no warning, you are dead. Granted, with all of the safegaurds, God hates you if you can get to anything and it is still powered up.

DC in general is less forgiving.

We have some pretty brutal stuff on the RR, but nothing like 980DC in my area.

Out east where our rails lay next to electric mass transit though, things can get nasty quick.

Isn’t this how Frankenstein got started?

Vendor came out today and said there’s 465 volts in that cabinet.

I’d definitely get to a cardiologist for a solid opinion. Ever had a baseline EKG before this?
You might need to wear a Holter monitor to record for up to a week.
Glad it wasn’t any worse, good luck.
-J