RE: Information on Thyroid shielding

[Thomas Morgan <tmorgan@isotopeproducts.com>]

The individual who receive the highest dose is the physician standing in 
the number one position immediately adjacent to the image intensifier. 
 Typically, this physician will receive a dose that is five to ten times 
higher than someone (usually another physician) standing next to him. 
 Doses to circulating nurses and technicians would typically be in the 
range of ten to twenty-fold below that of the number one physician.

Thyroid shields are inexpensive.  ALARA principles would dictate that any 
employees or physicians who stand next to the table during the procedure 
should be wearing thyroid shields.  Other personnel in the room probably 
don't need shields, although they should be wearing lead body aprons.

There have been a number of studies on the radiation levels expected in a 
cardiac cath lab:

Watson LE, Riggs MW, Bourland PD. Radiation exposure during cardiology 
fellowship training. Health Phys. 1997 Oct;73(4):690-3.
Aldridge HE, Chisholm RJ, Dragatakis L, Roy L.  Radiation safety in the 
cardiac catheterization laboratory. Can J Cardiol. 1997 May;13(5):459-67.
McKetty MH.  Study of radiation doses to personnel in a cardiac 
catheterization laboratory. Health Phys. 1996 Apr;70(4):563-7.
Li LB, Kai M, Takano K, Ikeda S, Matsuura M, Kusama T.  Occupational 
exposure in pediatric cardiac catheterization. Health Phys. 1995 
Aug;69(2):261-4.
Having said all this and with six years of experience as Radiation Safety 
Officer at large medical center where thousands of these procedures were 
done each year, I am much more concerned about exposure to extremities.  It 
is not uncommon to see the physicians' fingers in the image!  This a 
particular problem with young residents in training.

Thomas L. Morgan, Ph.D.
Director, Health Physics
Radiation Safety Officer
Isotope Products Laboratories
Burbank, CA



-----Original Message-----
From:	ishtiaq.hussain [SMTP:ishtiaq.hussain@aku.edu]
Sent:	Friday, December 08, 2000 2:03 AM
To:	Multiple recipients of list
Subject:	Information on Thyroid shielding

Official:	Yes

Dear Radsafers,
Would some one kindly provide me information on the people needing thyroid
shielding in interventional procedures as in fluoroscopy.
Is it every one there in the fluoro room or is it just the radiologist and
some resident students (if any) only ie excluding nurses and technologists.
Regards,
Ishtiaq Hussain (Hunzaie), M. Sc. (U.K),
Medical Physicist,
Department of Radiology,
Aga Khan University Hospital,
Stadium Road, Karachi-74800,
Pakistan.
Ph               : 00-92-21-4930051 ext:2053
Fax(Central): 00-92-21-4934294 & 4932095

Any view (via this email account to radsafe in the past, present and 
future)
or remark or querie is that of mine and in no way reflects any official
material.

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