Leone BJ

Language: English
References: 0
Page: 135-138
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Radiation exposure is a common fear among anesthesia personnel. Anesthesia personnel potential exposure was due primarily to X-ray examinations performed in the operating room for a variety of reasons, or in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (Recovery Room) when confirming line placement or examining a patient for complicating events, for example pneumothorax, or pneumoperitoneum. These exposure risks were confined to a single moment when an X-ray examination was performed, with enough opportunity to safely step away and shield oneself from the radiation source while not comprising patient care.
With the development of new technologies, the need for anesthesia has increased in areas utilizing fixed X-ray equipment for interventions. These interventions take many forms, occur in multiple sites, and require elective as well as emergent use of anesthesia expertise and personnel. Examples of these newer fields include Neuro-interventional Radiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology, and Computed-Tomography-Guided Cryoablations. All of these interventions require several hours, with intermittent X-ray examinations or guidance needed frequently, to complete patient care procedures. This leaves the anesthesia care team to care for patients while X-ray studies are performed, potentially exposing anesthesia personnel to x-radiation.