Re: Nuclear Medicine Patients and Homeland Security

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

While I understand the significants of informing

patients about the relationship between administrated

doses and presence of detection equipment, I do not

know what can be done with patients that refuse or

forget to follow release instructions?  What is the

licensee to do?  



--- William V Lipton <liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM> wrote:

> Recalling an earlier Radsafe discussion on nuclear

> medicine patients who

> alarm radiation detectors placed in critical

> infrastructure, the NRC has

> issued Information Notice 2003-22, "Heightened

> Awareness For Patients

> Containing Detectable Amounts of Radiation From

> Medicial

> Administrations."  This Notice describes an event in

> which a nuclear

> medicine patient, who had been released in

> accordance with 10 CFR 35.75,

> alarmed a detector in a tunnel while on a bus from

> New York to Atlantic

> City.  The discussion notes that the patient had

> disregarded the 10 CFR

> 35.75 written instructions, which stated that the

> patient should not use

> public transportation for 2 days. Hence, the Notice

> recommends that,

> "...authorized users are expected to evaluate the

> patient's capability

> to follow recommended written instructions before

> release, to determine

> if release at that time is advisable, and stress the

> importance to the

> patient of following the written instructions."

> 

> The report also notes that patients who are below

> the threshold for

> 10 CFR 35.75 written instructions could still alarm

> radiation

> detectors.  The Notice thus "recommends" that

> nuclear medicine

> licensees:  (1) "... provide all patients that still

> contain delectable

> [sic] amounts of radiation with an appropriate

> explanation about the

> potential of alarming radiation monitoring

> equipment."  (2)

> "...consider providing the patient with the

> licensee's business card and

> written information for law enforcement use..."

> 

> In the previous discussion, I suggested that

> recommendation (1) should

> be a regulation, and received many responses saying

> that the medical

> community doesn't need a regulation to do this. 

> Now's your chance.

> 

> The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

> It's not about dose, it's about trust.

> Curies forever.

> 

> Bill Lipton

> liptonw@dteenergy.com

> 

> 

>

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=====

+++++++++++++++++++

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not themselves, and under a just God cannot long retain it."

Abraham Lincoln



-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



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