Managing the Safety of Medical Personnel During Radiological Procedures

What should I do if my hand always appears during fluoroscopy?

Think of procedures that do not show the hands and measure the radiation exposure dose on the fingers.

Four cases of skin cancer on medical radiation worker were recognized as an occupational injury (between 2012 and 2017, as of September 7). Data is available that clearly shows the minimum dose required for skin damage to occur. The risk of skin cancer was confirmed to increase at exposure levels greater than 1 gray. Considering cumulative doses from exposures that occur a little at a time, the risk of skin cancer increases above 2 or 3 grays. First, wear a ring-type dosimeter on the hand to accurately determine current dose levels. Given that the dose levels at the patient skin surface during procedures are recorded, the exposure to your own hand can be estimated from that data. Patient skin dose probably often exceeds 1 gray when difficulties are encountered during a procedure. One suggestion is, each time a new IVR procedure is developed, such when a device is used or jointly developed with a vendor, to first consider whether or not the procedure can be performed with operator's hand within the exposure field. Another suggestion for preventing skin damage in cases where a hand partially appears during compression, for example, rather than during detailed operations with the hands, is to be mindful of wearing gloves with adequate radiation shielding capacity or using a compression device.