As fluoroscopy use expands in veterinary practices, many vets have questions about this modality, including ways to minimize their radiation exposure.
Here are some things to consider when using live veterinary x-rays equipment in a veterinary practice…
Should Lead Gloves Be Worn, and How Effective Are They?
According to information on the American College of Veterinary Radiology’s (ACVR) website, federal regulations in the US and Canada require fully enclosing gloves (draping a glove over the hand is not effective) to be worn if a patient must be manually restrained. They also state that hands should never be in the primary beam, even while wearing gloves.
That’s because lead gloves, while crucial during manual restraint, are not able to block all radiation from the primary beam. Instead, they are intended to protect the wearer from scatter radiation.
These recommendations are for any source of ionizing radiation—which includes traditional radiographs and fluoroscopy studies alike.
Radiation Safety with Gloves During Interventional Veterinary Fluoroscopy
Interventional fluoroscopy involves diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedures performed using fluoroscopy for guidance.
There are flexible gloves (and even surgical gloves) available for these purposes, which allow dexterity for the practitioner while still providing some degree of radiation shielding.
However, these gloves are not designed for use under the primary beam. Their purpose is to protect from scatter radiation.
For more specific information on the effectiveness of these gloves, manufacturers often provide a chart on the percentage of radiation blocked at various kVp settings.
To reduce exposure, some surgeons recommend using the fluoroscopy beam intermittently—in short bursts to check the positioning of devices such as catheters, stents, or external skeletal fixators—rather than keeping the beam on the whole time. Also, consider hands-free principles for positioning patients whenever possible.
Do Vet Techs or Doctors Have to Swap Out Because of Accumulated Radiation?
In addition to PPE, veterinary personnel who use radiology equipment should wear a dosimeter badge to monitor their radiation exposure over time. If many fluoroscopy procedures are performed, a ring dosimeter is valuable in addition to the dosimeter worn on the lead apron.
If exposure levels ever go too high for an employee, measures must be taken to limit that person’s exposure. This could include rotating staff members so that the same person isn’t exposed all the time—which isn’t a bad preventive measure to take anyway.
Here are some resources for more information and ideas on reducing radiation exposure at your practice…
- Infographic from the Hands-Free Veterinary Radiography Initiative: RadiationPoster.pdf (acvr-website.s3.amazonaws.com)
- The ACVR’s Radiation Safety Statement: ACVR’s Radiation Safety Statement | American College of Veterinary Radiology
- Requirements for the state or location in which you practice. Your local veterinary board should be able to direct you to the appropriate resources.
Remember that some states have special requirements—such as a switch outside the x-ray suite. And each state may have different set limits for radiation exposure, so it’s important to know the rules that apply to your practice location.
