Re: Sm-153 or Sr-89 use

[carol marcus <csmarcus@ucla.edu>]

At 03:02 PM 6/25/99 -0500, you wrote:
>What precautions are advised for care of patients'  blood and urine who have
>received therapeutic doses of either Sm-153 or Strontum-89 ?   Time length
>of precautions?
>
>Thank you for your assistance.
>
>David Engelbretson, MS
>Assistant Radiation Safety Officer
>Environmental & Radiation Safety Department
>The Methodist Hospital
>713-790-2761 phone
>713-793-1341 fax
>
>
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>The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
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Dear Radsafers:

Little in the way of precautions is needed.  For the large majority of
patients who are treated as outpatients, we tell them that their urine will
be radioactive (for Sr, several days; for Sm, one day) and that if they
spill their urine to clean it up and wash their hands thoroughly.  I tell
the men patients to urinate sitting down to avoid splashing and dripping
during this period.  There is no issue with blood.  Both these
radiopharmaceuticals go to bone within minutes, and the remainder goes out
the kidneys.  Blood concentrations are low and of no importance.  A bloody
bandage or menstrual fluid may be discarded as ordinary trash without
worrying about contamination detection at the dump.

If the patient is incontinent, and cannot manage a bladder catheter or
condom catheter at home very easily, I hospitalize the patient for a day or
two but do not use a special radiation room, as for high dose I-131. This is
for contamination control, not radiation protection.  

I hope this clears things up; if anyone has further questions, y'all call!

Carol S. Marcus, Ph.D., M.D.
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

(310)222-2845
<csmarcus@ucla.edu>

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information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html