[ RadSafe ] Errors expose patients to radiation

Mon Sep 26 13:51:42 CDT 2005

Jim,
Medical exposures of 1 Sv are unusual, even in
therapy. Biological response predicates the need to
factionate doses.  And, yes, the public dose limit is
exclusive of medical irradiations.  

--- "Muckerheide, James" <jimm at WPI.EDU> wrote:

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
> > Behalf Of John Jacobus
> > Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 9:06 AM
> 
> <snip> 
> > Second, using the public limit of 1.0 mSv makes no
> > sense.  The public limit is from man-made souces
> and
> > is EXCLUSIVE of medical exposures.
> 
> Of course, because my physiological response to 1 Sv
> of medical exposure (or
> is that just medical over-exposure?) is much less
> than my response to 1 mSv
> from "man-made" sources?  (As though medical
> exposure isn't?)
> 
> Regards, Jim Muckerheide
> =========================
>  
> > Third, this is obviously a selected study of
> reported
> > incidences only.
> > 
> > Note:  Some people are annoyed by reports of
> > "overexposures" to nuclear power workers.  I have
> the
> > annoyance to patient overexposure reports.
> > 
> > --- Marcel Schouwenburg
> > <M.Schouwenburg at TNW.TUDelft.NL> wrote:
> > 
> > > Received through another list (srp)
> > >
> > >
> >
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > Sunday Herald reports Errors expose patients to
> > > radiation
> > >
> > > http://www.sundayherald.com/51922
> > >
> > > MORE than 500 people have been accidentally
> > > overexposed to radiation in
> > > hospitals across Scotland in the past 10 years.
> > > More than four-fifths of them were patients
> having
> > > X-rays, CAT
> > > (computer-assisted tomography) scans or
> radiation
> > > therapy, while the rest
> > > were hospital staff. The accidents were caused
> by
> > > human errors, procedural
> > > mistakes, equipment failures and spillages.
> > >
> > > In a few cases, unborn babies were inadvertently
> > > given large doses of
> > > radiation far in excess of the safety limits. In
> > > other instances, people
> > > were wrongly X-rayed, given repeat scans or
> badly
> > > injected.
> > >
> > > Hospitals have also lost or mislaid radiation
> > > sources . All sources are
> > > meant to be secured to prevent them being stolen
> by
> > > terrorists and used in
> > > "dirty bombs".
> > >
> > > The revelations, contained in a new NHS study,
> have
> > > worried politicians, who
> > > are calling for action to cut the number of
> > > accidents. The government's
> > > radiation watchdog, the Health Physics Service,
> says
> > > it is important to keep
> > > radiation doses as low as possible, especially
> for
> > > children and pregnant
> > > women.
> > >
> > > Radiation is a common tool in medicine
> throughout
> > > the developed world.
> > > X-rays and CAT scans help diagnose a wide range
> of
> > > health problems, while
> > > radioactive chemicals are put in the body as
> tracers
> > > and used, externally
> > > and internally, to destroy cancers. However, all
> > > radiation is potentially
> > > dangerous, and extra doses can increase the risk
> of
> > > cancer.
> > >
> > > Colin Martin, head of the Health Physics Service
> for
> > > NHS hospitals in the
> > > west of Scotland, has analysed 606 incidents
> > > reported since 1995.
> > >
> > > In 423 incidents patients were overexposed to
> > > radiation, and in 114 cases
> > > hospital staff were overexposed or contaminated.
> The
> > > commonest reason was
> > > staff error, followed by equipment failure. In
> more
> > > than one in 10 cases the
> > > wrong patient was scanned or treated . Sometimes
> the
> > > wrong part of the body
> > > was X-rayed .
> > >
> > > Patients were also given repeat scans because
> staff
> > > forgot to change the
> > > film, machines were left on or computers
> crashed.
> > > Staff were contaminated by
> > > slips while giving injections, or by urine or
> vomit
> > > from radiotherapy
> > > patients.
> > >
> > > In a third of the incidents the radiation dose
> was
> > > above the annual safety
> > > limit for the public of one mSv (milliSievert).
> In
> > > half a dozen cases the
> > > doses were more than 20 times in excess of the
> > > limit. Four of the highest
> > > exposures were to pregnant women.
> > >
> > > In most cases, patients were probably informed
> about
> > > the errors at the time.
> > > Martin, who is based at Gartnavel Royal Hospital
> in
> > > Glasgow, pointed out
> > > that the mistakes represented a very small
> fraction
> > > of the million or more
> > > radiation procedures carried out in the west of
> > > Scotland every year.
> > >
> > > "There is no reason to suspect that the number
> of
> > > radiation incidents in the
> > > west of Scotland is different from that in other
> > > parts of the UK," he told
> > > the Sunday Herald.
> > >
> > > "By encouraging a more open reporting system,
> the
> > > Health Physics Service is
> > > able to investigate the causes of incidents, so
> that
> > > procedures can be
> > > improved. The risks of any health consequences
> from
> > > exposure to radiation at
> > > these levels are very low."
> > >
> > > But Dr Eleanor Scott MSP, health speaker for the
> > > Scottish Green Party,
> > > stressed that "any unnecessary exposure to
> radiation
> > > should be avoided".
> > >
> > > The study is being published in next month's
> British
> > > Journal of Radiology.
> > >
> > > . . .
> > 
> > +++++++++++++++++++
> > "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never
> tired anything new."
> > -- Albert Einstein
> > 
> > -- John
> > John Jacobus, MS
> > Certified Health Physicist
> > e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com
> > 
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=== message truncated ===

+++++++++++++++++++
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tired anything new."
-- Albert Einstein

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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