Radiation Doses to Pediatric Patients Originated from Adult Patients in Nuclear Medicine Waiting Room

Abstract

Radiation protection is one of the most problematic issues in the nuclear medicine department. In perhaps the most neglected issue is the pediatric patients who wait in nuclear medicine department. In present study, we measured the radiation doses to pediatric patients originated from adult patients in nuclear medicine waiting room. The situations for pediatric patients at adult waiting room and at pediatric waiting room were separately investigated during 5 days period. In adult waiting room, average daily number of adult patient injected 99mTc was 16.4 and average administered 99mTc activity per an adult patient is 630 MBq. Average waiting time for adult patients is 2.6 hours. In pediatric waiting room, average daily pediatric patient’s number is 4.4 and the average administrated 99mTc activity per a pediatric patient is 147 MBq. Average waiting time for pediatric patients is 2.2 hours. According to our measurements, while a pediatric patient waiting in adult room has up to 184.6 Sv dose originated from adult patients injected 99m Tc, a pediatric patient waiting in separate pediatric waiting room has only 18 Sv dose from other pediatric patients. The received radiation doses by pediatric patients originated from other patients at nuclear medicine waiting patient room are completely unnecessary and it can be largely avoided. Our recommendation is that pediatric patients should be waited in a separate waiting room apart from adult patients.