Exposure of emergency medicine personnel to ionizing radiation during cervical spine radiography
We studied the potential hazard of ionizing radiation exposure to health care workers who routinely stabilize the necks of trauma patients during cervical spine radiography. A clinical trauma model was developed using an Alderson RANDO Phantom artificial torso to simulate an actual patient. A radiation monitor was placed where a health care worker's fingers, hands, arms, and thyroid gland would be, and standard cervical spine radiographs were taken. The exposures to the finger positions then were repeated with the monitor inside a 0.5 mm lead-equivalent glove. The mean exposure to the finger for a single cross-table lateral radiograph was 174.5 mrem. The use of leaded gloves reduced this exposure to 0.3 mrem (a 99.9% reduction). For a single series of lateral, anteroposterior, odontoid, and swimmer's views, the total mean measured unprotected exposure to the finger of the hand positioned nearest the radiographic tube was 681 mrem and the exposure to the finger of the opposite hand was 230 mrem. If these simulated exposures are indicative of actual patient situations, a health care worker who holds the head of a trauma patient four times each week with unshielded hands would receive more than twice the maximum allowable annual occupational radiation exposure to the extremities recommended by the National Council of Radiation Protection and Measurements. We conclude that health care workers who routinely stabilize the necks of trauma patients during cervical spine radiography may incur a radiation exposure risk and that 0.5-mm lead-equivalent gloves provide an effective barrier to ionizing radiation.
- OSTI ID:
- 5472709
- Journal Information:
- Annals of Emergency Medicine; (USA), Journal Name: Annals of Emergency Medicine; (USA) Vol. 18:8; ISSN AEMED; ISSN 0196-0644
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
655003 -- Medical Physics-- Dosimetry
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BODY
BODY AREAS
DOSE EQUIVALENTS
DOSES
ELEMENTS
FINGERS
HANDS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INJURIES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEAD
LIMBS
MEDICAL PERSONNEL
METALS
MOCKUP
MONITORING
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
ORGANS
PERSONNEL
PHANTOMS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIATION INJURIES
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIATIONS
SKELETON
STRUCTURAL MODELS
VERTEBRAE