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Published on: September 11, 2011
Removal of comfort pads underneath babies: a method of reducing radiation exposure to neonates
Amit S Rattan1, Mervyn D Cohen
1Department of Radiology, Riley Children's Hospital, Indiana University School of Medicine, 705 Riley Hospital Dr., Room 1053, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Insights
Removing comfort pads during infant radiography can significantly reduce radiation dose. These pads, placed under babies, absorb 12-72% of the X-ray beam, increasing unnecessary radiation exposure.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Radiology
- Pediatric Imaging
Background:
- Increasing use of medical imaging leads to higher radiation exposure.
- Minimizing radiation dose, especially in pediatric patients, is crucial.
- Comfort pads are often used in infant radiography but may increase radiation dose.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the potential for reducing radiation dose in infants by removing comfort pads.
- To quantify the X-ray attenuation caused by comfort pads using the exposure index (EI) standard.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a neonatal chest phantom with fixed exposure factors.
- Measured X-ray attenuation by four different thickness comfort pads (0.5" to 8").
- Assessed the percentage of radiation absorbed by the pad before reaching the detector.
Main Results:
- All tested comfort pads caused significant radiation beam attenuation, from 12% to 72.1%.
- Higher pad thickness correlated with increased X-ray beam attenuation.
- The pads are positioned to absorb radiation after it passes through the phantom.
Conclusions:
- Comfort pads significantly attenuate the radiation beam in infant radiography.
- Removing comfort pads before radiographic exposure is a viable method to reduce patient radiation dose in newborns.
- This simple adjustment can enhance radiation safety in neonatal imaging.
Rationale And Objectives:
The recent increasing utilization of imaging has increased the population exposure to ionizing radiation. With increasing knowledge of the potential harm of radiation exposure, efforts should be made to minimize patient radiation whenever possible, especially in young children. The purpose of this study was to use the exposure index (EI) standard to assess the potential for reducing radiation dose to babies by removing a soft comfort pad, often placed underneath the baby. The pad is located between the baby and the image detector plate. As such it absorbs x-rays that have already passed through the baby but have not yet reached the imaging detector plate.
Materials And Methods:
Using a thoracic infant phantom and fixed exposure factors, we measured the percentage of the radiation exiting a neonatal chest phantom that was absorbed/attenuated by the comfort pad, before it hit the detector to create the image. We studied comfort pads of 4 different thicknesses, ranging from 0.5″ to 8″.
Results:
Radiation beam attenuation, ranging from 12% to 72.1%, was found with all comfort pads, with increased x-ray beam attenuation occurring with increasing pad thickness.
Conclusions:
The study shows that comfort pads cause a high attenuation of the radiation beam, after it exits the chest phantom. As such, removal of the pads prior to radiographic exposure of babies is a method of potentially reducing patient radiation exposure in the newborn nursery.
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