Providing Pediatric Patients with a Safe X-ray Experience

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Helen Titus, Marketing Director, X-ray Solutions, Carestream

The delicate state of a patient in a hospital is never taken lightly by medical imaging professionals. These patients are in situations where they are at their most vulnerable and it is up to the physicians to provide a sense of comfort while patients are in their care. This is exacerbated with pediatric patients because of the fragility of their developing bodies.

There are numerous technologies that have been or are being developed that address these younger, smaller patients. At Carestream, we’ve brought flexibility and mobility to the X-ray room with the DRX-Revolution, but versatility is not the only issue that should be addressed. Younger, developing bodies are more susceptible to radiation dose, so it is up to us to ensure that we are accomplishing two main objectives when capturing an image:

1)      Capturing the highest quality image so that physicians can make an accurate diagnosis quickly

2)      Accomplish #1 while simultaneously delivering the lowest radiation dose possible to the patient

The Image Gently initiative created by the Society for Pediatric Radiology has long been driving home the importance of dose reduction and efficiency within pediatric imaging. The impressive library of resources and research the organization possesses has done a great deal of good for the cause, especially in raising awareness about the problem and getting radiologists to act.

On our part as a vendor, it is our responsibility to provide the technologies that allow radiologists to accomplish dose reduction and safe imaging. Our most recent offering is the DRX-2530C digital detector. The small size fits right in the Bucky tray in a bassinet, and the Cesium iodide (Csl) design is ideal for dose-sensitive pediatric applications. These are the types of technologies that live up to the mission put forth through the Image Gently initiative.

We have recently seen success from the 2530C in action. According to a recent story, Melbourne’s Monash Children’s Hospital was the first in the world to receive the DRX-2530C detector, which was built specifically for pediatric imaging. The physicians and radiologists were able to see benefits from the detector and how it is an important integration within the digital radiography (DR) process:

Monash Health chief radiographer Mark Burgess said X-raying babies in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit had previously been time-consuming, involving the use of a more cumbersome X-ray plate.

”We had to take the plate out, walk back to the X-ray department, process the image there and then send it back up to the unit. Now that all happens wirelessly, straight away,” he said.

Monash neonatal physician Arvind Sehgal said receiving images instantly was particularly useful when doctors needed to make minute adjustments to devices and tubes linked to vital organs.

When capturing images from pediatric patients, physicians must ensure that the patient is safe throughout the entire process. Timeliness is important throughout the process, another testament as to the benefits of DR In the end, it is the patient who remains the center of attention. All of our efforts must be put geared towards making sure that radiologists can capture the best image while also keeping the patient comfortable and safe. This will always be especially true for children.