• Rooskie91@discuss.online
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    1 day ago

    Also, they give you a lead garment to protect the areas that aren’t being x-rayed. So the technicians are taking appropriate safety precautions for you as well as themselves.

    Even without that precaution you get more radiation exposure from a long plane ride than from a single x-ray (less atmosphere above you = less shielding from cosmic radiation).

    • krathalan@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 day ago

      Employed X-ray tech here, this is mostly accurate, but most relevant academic bodies, in the US at least, actually recommend not shielding patients anymore, since it usually leads to slightly higher doses depending on the particular exam.

      Collimation of the beam is sufficient to reduce dose with modern equipment.

      That being said, when the patient is being X-rayed, such as in surgery, the primary source of radiation for everyone else is the patient. Since that cannot be collimated, lead aprons should be worn, and should be facing the source of radiation (i.e., don’t turn your back when the beam is on, or wear a full wrap lead apron). Even that being said, the amount of radiation is low for almost everything except CT scans and IR (heart cath/embolization etc) cases.

      • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        It depends on the xray and positions etc. I’ve had it with the lead apron and not

    • Photonic@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Lead garments are usually used to protect the doctors and technologists during fluoroscopy or x-ray guided therapy or surgery.

      Collimation is what protects the areas that aren’t x-rayed in a patient.

          • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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            1 day ago

            As a patient I have worn them, do they not have them where you go?

            • Photonic@lemmy.world
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              1 day ago

              Like I said, collimation is what’s key: if you don’t put other body parts into the beam there is no need to put lead on a patient. Lead garments don’t work for the patient. It only helps to protect others around them from radiation that’s scattered in the patient and coming out at different angles.

              So next time they hand you one, ask them to properly collimate instead.

              • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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                1 day ago

                They aren’t even in the same room. They have a special walled booth. They’ve given me a vest when having my arm up out on a table. Seems somebody needs better equipment or better training

                • Photonic@lemmy.world
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                  1 day ago

                  Mate, you really need to read better LOL, like I said in my first comment, it’s for fluoroscopy or X-ray assisted surgery

                  And the lead garment was bullshit as I have been telling you for a bunch of times now. Read up about x-ray machines and collimation before you accuse someone of not knowing what they’re talking about because you had an X-ray a few times xD

                  • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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                    1 day ago

                    But who you originally responded to wasn’t talking about the fluoroscope. They meant in general, that’s why I said they meant the vest the patient wears. Also during my fluoroscope I was bare obviously but the doctors had aprons for obvious reasons.

                    Reading online its only more modern equipment that has good colluminarion adjustments, older equipment is still suggesting using patient protection, per the original comment