A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 3 7
that allows the surgeon to control when an image is shot at the tap of a foot is a
feature worth looking for in a C-arm.
3. Connectivity
Once your C-arm has captured images, what can you do with them? It's another
important factor to consider. Traditionally, image output has involved display
As of July 1, hospitals and ambulatory surgical
facilities accredited by the Joint Commission are
subject to the agency's newly revised diagnostic
imaging services requirements
(osmag.net/w8pTJJ).
The requirements, developed in collaboration
with the American College of Radiology, the
Radiological Society of North America, the
American Association of Physicists in Medicine,
and other professional organizations and imaging
experts, point to the need for managing the safety
and security risks of imaging modalities in the
healthcare environment.
According to the requirements, facilities should
verify and document the qualifications of staff
members who operate C-arms and other imaging
equipment, as well as their continuing education
on the equipment's safe handling and techniques
for optimizing radiation doses. The equipment
should be routinely inspected, tested, and main-
tained, and radiation data should be collected to
monitor staff's performance.
The Joint Commission's requirements refer
facilities and imaging operators to consult the
educational resources available through the
Image Wisely (imagewisely.org) and Image
Gently (imagegently.org) initiatives, led by the
ACR, RSNA, AAPM and others.
In general, to protect patients and staff from
imaging's invisible danger, make leaded aprons,
proper eye protection, thyroid shields and dosime-
ters mandatory apparel. Position body parts being
scanned directly over the C-arm's image intensifier
and as far as possible from the X-ray tube to
reduce radiation scatter. Employ lead shutters at
the X-ray source to focus the imaging at the target-
ed area and limit radiation exposure time. Also set
the C-arm to take intermittent images to capture
needed images at the minimum effective dose.
— David Bernard
C-ARM COMPLIANCE
How Safe Are Your Imaging Practices?
