7 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 9
T
he next time you need a lesson in radiation safety, pop
your head into a procedure room to watch an interven-
tional pain doc at work.
"They're in front of C-arms all day long, so they respect
imaging's invisible dangers," says Daniel Kaplan, DO, an
orthopedic surgeon at WellSpan Orthopedics, York, Pa. "They step
back from the imaging field and clear their hands during every shot,
and they always wear the appropriate personal protection equipment.
You can tell they've been fully educated on radiation safety and
receive continuous training."
Your surgeons and staff know the basics of radiation safety, but they
might not fully appreciate the risks they face every time a C-arm is
Daniel Cook | Executive Editor
Reduce the Risk of Radiation Exposure
Proper personal protection and a healthy dose of common
sense will limit intraoperative imaging's inherent dangers.
• ADDED LAYERS Lead aprons and thyroid shields protect surgical team members from 95% of scattered radiation.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR