Re: Plutonium pacemaker - Patient concern -leakage?

[Mark Steinbuchel <markst@ONC.hhsys.org>]

Allen, We also have a seventies implanted plutonium pacemaker patient that 
we monitor per requirement by our state of Alabama license.  I am checking 
him annually for external leakage with a GM contamination instrument to see 
if he has anything outside of the sternal chest area. We do not feel that 
urine or other monitoring is required. Would also like to know from other 
Hospital Radiation Safety folks on the listserver, if this is adequate 
without being an unwarranted burden to the very nice (and lucky) patient 
who is living quite happily!
Mark Steinbuchel, CHCM
Chairman, Radiation Safety Committee (HHS/RSC)
Alternate Radiation Safety Officer
Huntsville Hospital System
markst@ONC.hhsys.org
On Mon, 21 Sep 1998 07:22:35 -0500 Allen Hrejsa 
<Allen.Hrejsa@ADVOCATEHEALTH.COM> wrote:

>      I had one of our physicians call the other day with a patient that had
>      a Plutonium powered pacemaker that was installed in 1974.  The patient
>      was concerned about the possible radiation leakage of the pacemaker.
>      Best info is that pacemaker is still functioning just fine.  Question
>      was: "Can I test the patient in some way to determine if the pacemaker
>      is leaking?"
> 
>      Can anyone shed some light on this?  I did find a little bit of info
>      in the NCRP report on exposure to the public from comercial devices.
> 
> 
>      Thanks for any info on "Atomic" pacemakers
> 
> 
>      Allen F. Hrejsa Ph.D.
>      Cancer Care Center, Lutheran General Hospital 1700 Luther Lane
>      Park Ridge IL 60068
> 
>      847 723 8168
>      FAX 847 723 8175
> 
>      allen.hrejsa@advocatehealth.com
> 
>                     *****
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