Radiation protection of personnel and course participants during X-ray fluoroscopy and O-arm imaging

Persons using radiation should put on protective clothing
- Thyroid shields and lead aprons are part of the basic protection.
- Lead apron provides high reduction of the ionizing radiation scattered from the cadaver.
Before taking an image (fluoroscopic or O-arm 2D), the person using the device is required to warn the others with a loud voice. He should also inform the others, when the imaging is done. During the imaging, other people in the surgical lab should also take cover behind a mobile shielding screen or another person wearing protective garments or leave the lab and go to the vestibule.
- Make sure that your body is behind the radiation shield as much as possible.
- For the duration of the imaging, those not taking the image should turn their faces away from the C-arm.
- The person taking the image should keep his eyes on the screen and therefore protect his eyes with protective glasses.
The ionizing radiation focused on the cadaver scatters everywhere in the surgical lab. When using C-arm and 2D imaging with O-arm, at a range of 2 meters from the imaging target, a person is exposed to an amount of one thousandth of the radiation absorbed in the cadaver. The amount of scattered radiation is therefore a lot less than the primary radiation focused on the cadaver.
- For the duration of the imaging, stay as far away as possible from the imaging target.
If you are or even suspect to be pregnant, leave the surgical lab and go to the vestibule for the duration of the imaging to avoid any radiation exposure to the fetus.
When taking 3D-images with O-arm, the scatter radiation exposure is equal to computer tomography. Therefore, all but the person taking the 3D image have to move to the vestibule and close the door during imaging. The direct radiation exposure falls upon the user’s head and upper torso, therefore the user takes cover behind the shielding screen.
Do not put your non-protected hands or other body parts in the radiation beam. The radiation field is limited to the image intensifier’s surface and does not cross the supporting structures.
The C-arm should only be used during a training course in agreed way. It is forbidden to take fluoroscopic images of the personnel or course participants.
- The organizer of the course is obligated to inform faculty and course participants of these instructions and safe use of the C-arm in TSEC.
- During a training course, representatives and course faculty should supervise that radiation protection is implemented.
The radiation exposure of the personnel and course participants is monitored with radiation dosimeters four times a year.
- Course participants or faculty taking fluoroscopic images should wear the dosimeter of the C-arm. For the duration of the imaging, it is attached outside the protective clothing (for example to the thyroid shield), the right side up towards the radiation source.