title: Decreasing radiation exposure on pediatric portable chest radiographs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether additional shielding designed for pediatric patients during portable chest exams that ascertain endotracheal tube placement would significantly decrease the amount of scatter radiation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 24 months or younger were intubated and received daily morning chest radiographs to determine endotracheal tube placement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For each measurement, the amount of scatter radiation decreased by more than 20% from a nonshielded exposure to a shielded exposure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a significant decrease in scatter radiation when using the lead shielding device along with appropriate collimation vs appropriate collimation alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that applying additional shielding to appropriately collimated chest radiographs could significantly reduce scatter radiation and therefore the overall dose to young children.
authors.forename: Nancy G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Hawking
authors.forename: Ted D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Sharp
mesh_terms: D001822:Body Burden; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011481:Protective Clothing; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D011874:Radiometry; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*