A hospital is investigating how a patient was given the wrong ID tag.
Terrence Henderson said the blunder at Manchester Royal Infirmary could have had fatal consequences as he is allergic to aspirin, peanuts and penicillin.
The patient whose tag he was given is to make an official complaint to hospital bosses for failing to keep his personal information secure.
Mr Henderson, 64, from Higher Openshaw, went to the MRI last week for treatment for an inherited digestive condition.
He was given a white wristband with his name, date of birth and NHS number on it.
Half an hour later he was given a second, red band, which was supposed to contain details of his condition and allergies.
But it was only when he got home that he realised he had been given another patient’s tag by mistake.
Mr Henderson said: “I was shocked and horrified by the mistake – it could have proved fatal if I had become ill or something had gone wrong and I needed emergency care.
“When I discovered what had happened I was concerned that something might have happened to the patient who had my allergy tag.”
The other patient, who has asked not to be named, was at the same unit on the same day for tests after feeling unwell.
His wife said: “We are very upset, he has been sick for months and we hoped these tests would get to the bottom of it.
“Now we don’t know if we can trust the results. If his information is being confused with someone else, could his medical results be mixed up, too?”
Central Manchester Hospitals Trust said: “We would like to apologise to Mr Henderson for any distress caused and would like to reassure him that we take issues of patient safety very seriously.
“We have launched an investigation to establish the facts surrounding this issue. We can confirm, however, that we have other systems in place to ensure staff members are aware of patient allergies and that neither patient came to any harm.”
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