Americans get most radiation from medical scans

June 14th, 2010

Did you catch this article on Yahoo! today?

Americans get most radiation from medical scans. (go to article)

The article cites that routine “chest x-rays when admitted to a hospital or before surgery; imaging tests on car crash victims who don’t show signs of head or abdominal injuries; and low-back X-rays in older people with degenerative, but stable, spine conditions” are some of the most overused x-ray tests.

Even though it would appear the main point being made is the real danger is too many tests, the article does seem to suggest the importance of controlling dose at each x-ray examination as well.  “Except for mammograms, there are no federal rules on radiation dose.”  Our suggestion: Quality Assurance (to maintain optimum image quality) and adjusting technique factors based on Exposure Indexes are two everyday ways to protect patients from excessive radiation at each exam.

It would be interesting if, as the article suggests, a patient “radiation medical record” was developed almost similar to the personal radiation safety monitoring we do for technicians.  In the meantime, we’ll continue to work together to keep those mRs at a safe level for our patients.

Fuji CR User Training Video – QA

May 6th, 2010

Basic QA Tools (Veterinary)

Click on the video below to watch a training video on basic quality assurance (QA) tools provided by the Fujifilm XC/XL CR systems for veterinary users:

Go Deeper: The 5 Things

Before any study is completed and sent to PACS, five very important things should be verified by the technician:

• Patient Demographics – the correct patient data has been entered
• Image Demographics – the correct menu assigned to each image
• Orientation - the image has been rotated (as a film would) for viewing
• Markers - correct anatomical markers have been placed
• S Value – the exposure index is within acceptable range for area of interest

Radiographic Installation Planning Guide – FREE Download

April 28th, 2010

Building a new practice?

We’ve posted an electronic pdf version of our Installation Planning guide to assist customers building new radiographic suites.

This guide will assist you in planning the install of your new equipment, maintain optimum image quality, train staff on proper procedures and safety, as well as comply with State and Federal requirements.

Some of the sections in the guide focus on:

• Site Planning
• Patient Logs
• Quality Control
• Technique Charts
• Maintenance Logs
• Dosimetry Monitoring
• Regulatory Information

We’d be happy to assist you if you need any additional information.