January 2016

“What happens in radiology stays in radiology…”

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE blog, we review tips on improving images, safety and overall success in the x-ray room.

An often overlooked room in the veterinary hospital is the radiology room. It is dark, quiet, and often tucked in the corner of the hospital.

To make sure you take diagnostic, stress-free, safe radiographs, Dr. Garret Pachtinger, DACVECC, Co-Founder of VETgirl has 5 tips to keep in mind:

1) Positioning, Positioning, Positioning. The best radiographs are taken with appropriate patient positioning. Fancy, expensive x-ray equipment will not correct poor patient positioning. Poor positioning can lead to difficulty interpreting the radiograph, a waste of owner money, and even an incorrect diagnosis. One of the top mistakes we see at VETgirl? Not doing enough radiographs and including enough of the thoracic inlet (for chest radiographs) or pelvic region (for abdominal radiographs).

2) Reducing Exposure.  VETgirl can not over emphasize the importance of reducing radiation exposure. The veterinary staff must understand that reducing your exposure will reduce harmful effects of radiation. 1 X-Ray a day doesn’t sound so bad. But 1 X-Ray per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks a year, for 30 years…that adds up. It isn’t a cool as you think to glow.

3) Personal Protective Equipment – PPE. Say it with me. PPE. The veterinary hospital owner should provide appropriate PPE to protect the staff. Lead aprons, gloves, thyroid shields, glasses, another other equipment should be used to protect the veterinary staff from the hazardous effects of radiation. Importantly, PPE does not make you invisible. Placing your lead glove covered hands in the direct beam isnt a great idea. It decreases exposure to scatter, not a direct hit!

ppe

Dr. Garret Pachtinger, COO, VETgirl demonstrating radiology safety

4) Use appropriate restraint. While this may include sandbags, manual restraint, or ties, do not fear the power of sedation. This will not only help with patient comfort and anxiety, but allow for proper positioning – RULE 1! Your technicians will love you.

5) And finally, yes. “Nothing ever dies in radiology.” Why does nothing ever die in radiology? Because as they are taking their last, agonal breath from restraint…they are rushed to the ER for CPR. Why should nothing die in radiology? Importantly, because as proactive, good clinicians we recognize that diagnostics may need to wait while patient stabilization occurs. An answer with a dead patient…helps nobody.

When in doubt, implement these 5 easy radiation tips to improve your images, safety and quality of care!

  1. Be efficient and practice your positioning to help prevent retakes. Patience is key, I used to hate how long it would take to tape animals into position but now that I am further in my career I appreciate how it saved me from so much radiation over time. Slow and steady wins the race- and ADVOCATE for more sedation, it is better for the patient and the staff!! LOVE THIS WEBINAR and want to see all of my students exposed to this great info!

  2. I am very big on following all of these steps! Being as short staffed as we are, everyone gets more exposure than they should. So I try to stress as much as possible how important it is for my team to follow safety protocol and use the appropriate technique/positioning in the first try.

  3. Great information. Our clinic has taken radiation seriously and we have sedated and have been doing hands free radiographs with positioning devices and tape.

  4. A great reminder that lead gowns and gloves still don’t make us invincible and that radiograph exposure really does add up.

  5. Wear the gloves, don’t just cover your hands with them as they protect against scatter radiation which comes from the patient and table. Great refresher.

  6. Very helpful tips for retraining some of my staff! This is a huge area for improvement in my clinic.

  7. working with digital xray capabilities at a major trauma center can make taking xays a whole new experience. Being able to digitally edit the xrays not only cuts down on the amount of radiographs needed but also helps with proper, quick diagnosis.

  8. Also, remind coworkers that it is just not the sexual reproductive organs that are affected! It should be mandatory watching the story of the Radium Girls

  9. This is such a great reminder! Things like exposure can become so commonplace that the importance of safety measures can be overlooked. Take your health and safety seriously!

  10. great refresher. I am an overnight ICU tech in a specialty clinic. It feels like forever that I have had to take a radiograph

  11. Positioning is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve found , I technically know how but I can’t transcribe that on the table. Great tips

  12. Great tips. I feel that safety glasses is often overlooked in the Radiology Room. It is a piece of PPE that I feel staff undervalue.

  13. PPE and remembering the basics is most important. Technique is difficult and may keep your attention and PPE easily becomes secondary but safety is more important.

  14. This article serves as a great reminder. Safety for yourself and coworkers in the radiology room is easy to forget about sometimes.

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