Contamination from Nuc Med patients

[Bill Stephany <BSTEPHAN@mail.mcg.edu>]

How would you handle the following
incident?  An in-patient given Tc-99m as
part of a nuclear medicine diagnostic
procedure becomes incontinent,
contaminating bedding and part of the
hospital room.  Should radiation safety
respond to the incident?  If so, should
round-the-clock coverage be available
and a written notification procedure be
in place?  If not, should the nursing
staff clean the area following universal
precautions? Should the nursing staff be
given radiation safety training
annually?  What regulatory limits are
involved?  Is there a practical limit on
controlling the freedom of a patient?

Any comments will be appreciated!

Bill Stephany
Assistant RSO
Medical College of Georgia
Augusta, GA 30912-7520
(706) 721-9832
fiss.bstephan@mail.mcg.edu