[ RadSafe ] Errors expose patients to radiation

Mon Sep 26 19:03:38 CDT 2005

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Jacobus [mailto:crispy_bird at yahoo.com]
> Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 2:52 PM
> 
> Jim,
> Medical exposures of 1 Sv are unusual, even in
> therapy. 

Not true.

> Biological response predicates the need to
> fractionate doses.  

With or without fractionation.

> And, yes, the public dose limit is
> exclusive of medical irradiations.

Right.  And just how does my body know which is which?

> --- "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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