[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

re pacemakers -Reply



St. Jude Medical is in Sylmar, CA. Los Angeles County Radiation
Management staff are assisting in looking for the device.
kkaufman@dhs.co.la.ca.us


>>> <LIPTONW@dteenergy.com> 12/10/98 07:15am >>>
Here's some additional information. 
 
The opinions expressed are strictly mine. 
It's not about dose, it's about trust. 
 
Bill Lipton 
liptonw@dteenergy.com 
 
Hospital                                         |Event Number:   35114     
 | 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 
| LICENSEE: WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER           |NOTIFICATION
DATE: 
12/04/1998| 
|    CITY:  Washington               REGION:  1  |NOTIFICATION TIME: 
11:05[EST]| 
|  COUNTY:                            STATE:  DC |EVENT DATE:        
10/28/1998| 
|LICENSE#:  SNM-1446              AGREEMENT:  N  |EVENT TIME:             
[EST]| 
|  DOCKET:                                       |LAST UPDATE DATE:  
12/04/1998| 
|                                                
+-----------------------------+ 
|                                                |PERSON         
ORGANIZATION 
| 
|                                                |GLENN MEYER          R1   
  
| 
|                                                |JOSEPHINE PICCONE/EO NMSS 
  
| 
+------------------------------------------------+STUART RUBIN, AEOD   IRD  
  
| 
| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  DR. BILLY BASS               |                          
  
| 
|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  LEIGH TROCINE                |                          
  
| 
+------------------------------------------------+                          
  
| 
|EMERGENCY CLASS:          N/A                   |                          
  
| 
|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                          
  
| 
|BAB1 20.2201(a)(1)(i)    LOST/STOLEN LNM>1000X  |                          
  
| 
|NCAR                     CARDIAC PACEMAKER      |                          
  
| 
|                                                |                          
  
| 
|                                                |                          
  
| 
|                                                |                          
  
| 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 
 
                                   EVENT TEXT                               
  
  

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 
| LOSS OF A COROTOMIC NUCLEAR-POWERED PACEMAKER
CONTAINING 250 MILLIGRAMS   
  
| 
| (APPROXIMATELY 2.8 CURIES) OF PLUTONIUM-238                               
  
| 
|                                                                           
  
| 
| The following text is a portion of a facsimile addressed to NRC Region 1 

  
| 
| (received from the licensee on 11/30/98):                                 
  
| 
|                                                                           
  
| 
| "Pursuant to a telephone conversation with Teresa Darden of [the NRC
Region  
| 
| 1] office we are notifying you of the potential loss of a nuclear
pacemaker  
| 
| containing [approximately] 250 milligrams of Pu-238.  The pacemaker
was   
  
| 
| shipped on September 15, 1998.  A routine follow up phone call
determined 
  
| 
| late in October that the manufacturer had no record of receiving the      
  
| 
| pacemaker.  A thorough survey of the Washington Hospital Center
facility
has 
| 
| turned up nothing.  The manufacturer is currently in [the] process of     
  
| 
| performing a survey of their facility to track the pacer's whereabouts. 
A
  
| 
| trace of electronic mail records has been started with the U.S. Postal    
  
| 
| Service.  Results are expected within 2 weeks."                           
  
| 
|                                                                           
  
| 
| "Exposure levels at 1 meter from the pacemaker are about 20
microR/[hour] 
  
| 
| presenting no risk to public individuals who may come in contact with
the 
  
| 
| device."  The licensee stated that dose rates at the surface of the
source
  
| 
| are approximately 300 microR/hour.                                        
  
| 
|                                                                           
  
| 
| The licensee intended to ship the model-OMNISTAMCOR pacemaker
from        
  
| 
| Washington Hospital Center to Acufix Research Institute located in
Florida;  
| 
| however, it was sent to St. Jude Medical, Inc., located in Filmar,        
  
| 
| California.  Apparently, neither Acufix Research Institute nor St. Jude   
  
| 
| Medical, Inc., received the shipment.                                     
  
| 
|                                                                           
  
| 
| (Contact the NRC Operations Center for licensee contact telephone
numbers.)  
| 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 
 
 
 
 
You wrote: 
 
>I am not a medical type so I can't be 100% sure, but I believe some heart

>pacemakers are powered by plutonium.  Is this true? 
 
>Harry 
>303.966.2708 
>Harold.Reynolds@RFETS.gov
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and
subscription
information can be accessed at
http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html

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