Management of patients containing diagnostic amounts ofradiopharmaceuticals

["Ronald Frick" <RFRICK@gammacorp.com>]

I am looking for feedback on what controls other hospitals implement when performing surgery on patients who have received diagnostic amounts of radiopharmaceuticals.  The guidance I have come across only addresses therapeutic cases.  Are specimens (tumors) removed from patients containing radioactive material stored for decay?  According to NRC, the only radioctive material that is exempt from control is patient excreta released to the sewer.  They have advised me that these samples must be stored for decay.    Is this the policy at other facilities?  Are surveys peferformed in the OR afterwards to check for contamination?  Or, are biohazard contamination precautions considered to be adequate for the control of any radioactive contamination?  What is the regulatory justification for not implementing controls?

Please reply to me directly.  

Thanks.

Ron Frick
rfrick@gammacorp.com

************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html