Its common knowledge taught in x ray technician schools that CT scans, even when given appropriately, CT scans expose patients to a lot of radiation. But a mistake at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles meant that more than 200 patients were exposed to eight times the normal level of radiation, the Los Angeles Times reports.
CT scan causing hair to fall out?
Just recently the medical community had complained that the “correct” amout of radiation from a CT scan was bad for you.
The findings come just months after a New England Journal of Medicine report suggested that about one third of all CT scans are unnecessary and that overuse of these tests may be a significant factor in raising the total public risk of cancer deaths in the coming decades. The Columbia University researchers noted that while the individual risks of cancer from CT scans remain low, the increased incidence of cancer may be considerable. To balance image quality with these safety concerns, radiologists use a protocol known as the ALARA principle, short for As Low as Reasonably Achievable. It’s meant to ensure that “CT dose factors are kept to a point where risk is minimized for maximum diagnostic benefit,” says Arl Moore, president of the American College of Radiology. Continue reading
