Answer to Question #4705 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

I am an echocardiographer who occasionally has to echo patients who just had a nuclear stress test using Dipridomyle. I echo right handed so I am leaning over the patient. I was wondering how much radiation exposure I am actually getting from the patient. Is it a concern? I do wear a radiation badge to monitor my exposure. I know that many of these patients are sent home with no restrictions. Any information would be a huge help.

The exposure rate from nuclear medicine stress test patients varies depending on the type and amount of radionuclide used for the study, the size of the patient, and the distance that you are from the patient. In addition, your total exposure will vary with the number of patients that you do in a given time period.
You are already participating in the best method to accurately determine your exposure by wearing a radiation dosimeter (badge). Since you have a dosimeter, you are probably considered a radiation worker at your facility and should have received some amount of basic radiation safety training. As a radiation worker, you are subject to the annual radiation dose limits set forth in your regulatory jurisdiction. The radiation safety officer at your facility is responsible to make sure that your radiation exposure does not exceed allowable limits. The same applies if you are not a radiation worker but are issued a dosimeter as a precautionary measure as a member of the general public. The only difference is that you would then be subject to a lower annual limit of radiation exposure.

If you are a radiation worker, it is likely that your facility has a program to try to keep your radiation exposure even lower (below a certain percentage of the dose limits, eg., 10% or 30%) as an additional measure of safety.

Since you did not specify any of your dosimetry results, I cannot determine if your exposure is typical, but you can discuss your dosimetry reports with your radiation safety officer (or his/her designee). That individual should be able to explain the dose limits and dose trigger levels and compare your results to those and to other workers in the same work environment. If your exposure is higher than normal, the radiation safety officer can assist you with possibly altering your scan technique to reduce your radiation exposure.

Ken "Duke" Lovins, MS, CHP