title: Radiation safety for anesthesia providers.
abstract: Many modern diagnostic and surgical procedures rely heavily on the use of ionizing radiation. These procedures include computed tomography, nuclear medicine procedures, interventional radiology, and cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology procedures. Recent trends toward increased patient visits and patients with multiple challenging comorbidities have meant that anesthesia providers are increasingly required to provide services in the ancillary areas using ionizing radiation. As a result, anesthesia providers are at a greater-than-ever risk for excessive radiation doses. An overview of some of the basic principles of radiation biology, radiation physics, and radiation protection and specific guidelines related to radiation exposure and pregnancy are described. The effects of radiation exposure are cumulative and permanent, and an understanding of these principles and practices will help anesthesia providers keep their occupational exposure to a minimum.
authors.affiliation: Nurse Anesthesia Program, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, USA. gillianphillipsrn@gmail.com
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: W Patrick
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Monaghan
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009719:Nurse Anesthetists; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D012307:Risk Factors; D017751:Safety Management