Re: I-131 therapy < 30 mCi

[StevenFrey@aol.com]

Hi Doug -

A couple of suggestions -

For outpatients, Inform them that they are being administered a safe quantity
of radioactivity which will permit non-invasive diagnosis of the thyroid.
This material will fade away naturally on its own. At the same time, some
will be excreted from their bodies via normal body functions (urine feces,
sweat, breath, etc.). For the several days needed to rid the body of the
residual radioiodine, the patient should minimize direct physical contact
with others and should isolate clothing worn during that period for decay,
cleaning, and/or disposal in accordance to your standard guidelines.

For inpatients, the same information as above should be provided to, and gone
over with, the patient beforehand. The one exception is that the patient
needs to be informed about the need to be isolated in his or her hospital
room for several days, and recognized to be comfortable with the reasons why
(i.e., to help confine the inevitable contamination coming from his or her
body to the room, and to minimize doses to others). Only the nuclear medicine
physician and possibly a supporting nurse should be in the room during
administration of the radioiodine. They should dispose of the cup and any
other contaminated materials in a shielded (plastic-lined lead works best for
radioiodines) container prepositioned in the room, and then leave ASAP
afterward. Health physicists should survey the room at least once per day,
paying particular attention to sinks, toilets, bedding, clocks, televisions,
remote controls, telephones, food trays. The room should be posted as a
radioactive material/radiation area, and access tightly controlled to medical
staff  trained in radiological subjects and HP staff. Daily radiation surveys
should be conducted in the hallway immediately ourtside the room, in adjacent
rooms, and in areas on other floors directly above and below the room. Timely
assessments including calculations and thyroid bioassays along with
appropriate corrective actions should be conducted to help ensure that no
member of the public or of the non-radiation-worker staff receives greater
than 100 mrem TEDE from the patient or the procedure, as well as ensuriing
that no member of the trained staff receives greater than 50 REM thyroid dose
or 500 mrem TEDE.

Hoping this info is of some usefulness. Good luck with your program! Please
let me know if I can be of any further service. By the way, I'm originally
from Williamsport, and know Vince Maier and Cathy Anderko (maiden name).
Please tell them I said hello.

Steve Frey, CHP
Stevenfrey@aol.com
Phone: (800) 888-7008 (office)
            (714) 646-4631 (home)