engleski

Doses in the Vicinity of Mobile X-ray Equipment in a Children's Intensive Care Unit

Most of the patients in the Intensive Care Unit for Children are new-borns and infants having an infection of the central nervous system, with systemic septic and respiratory infections. Therefore, mobile X-ray equipment is routinely used for diagnosis of the respiratory tract, heart and endovascular cateterization. The aim of this work was to determine the radiation exposure to children in the vicinity of the exposed patient in the same or next room. The mobile X-ray unit is a Phillips Practix 100 model, including mobile shields (made by the firm Weimer Strahlenschutz) for radiation protection of patients and personal. For dose measurements, a thermoluminescent dosimetry system with TLD-700 detectors (manufactured by Harshaw) and a microprocessor controlled TOLEDO 654 reader were used. Three measurement runs were carried out. In the first one, the dosimeters were placed on the bed, without the patient, and the x-ray unit was operated as for thoracic x-ray. The results show the adequate homogeneity of the irradiation field. In the second measurement run, dosimeters were placed on the neighbouring bed behind the shield as well as on the glass wall of the room at various heights and distances from the X-ray tube. The results show that doses are very low, practically in the range of the lowest detectable dose, about 5 mSv. In the 3rd measurement run, the configuration of dosimeters in the surroundings were the same, but the irradiation was carried out with a 2 year old female patient and the distribution of the patient� s surface dose was measured. The entrance dose on the breast was found to be 0.07 mSv. The results of this study show that the exposure of children to radiation in the vicinity of the exposed patient in the same or next room is not measurable. Therefore there is no basis for the risk estimation of genetic, leukemogenic and cancerogenic detriment.

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nije evidentirano