Re: Guidelines for Protection of Pregnant Nurses

["Wesley M. Dunn" <WDUNN@brc1.tdh.state.tx.us>]

First, any "real" discussion of a therapeutic abortion should be with
the person's physician (who should refer to a proper expert; and I'm
no physician).  However, as previously mentioned, the dose rates to
nursing staff from brachy treatments have been historically very low.

The only requirement for these nurses to wear badges is because it is
possible to enter a High Radiation Area (> 100 mrem in one hour at
30 cm from the exposed surface) to help the patient in a medical
emergency.  Note that the HRA is the immediate vicinity of the
patient, and the nurse will rarely be fully within the HRA or for any
amount of time.


> Date: Wed, 12 Jul 95 04:04:41 -0500
> From: John Goldsmith <gjohn@bgumail.bgu.ac.il>
> Subject: Guidelines for Protection of Pregnant Nurses
>
>     A graduate student ( a nurse in our hospital ) has
> asked me some questions with which radsafers may be able to help.
> Given that nurses caring for patients getting radiotherapy with 137Cs,
> routinely wear film badges, is there any circumstance in which
> radiation exposure could occur which would justify therapeutic abortion?
>             John Goldsmith <gjohn@bgumail.bgu.ac.il>