RADeCO Health launches RADView CT dosimeter

Just how much exposure to radiation from CT scans is too much and how do those working with patients in the CT scan environment and their patients protect themselves from over exposure? Veteran-owned RADeCO Health, Inc. of Sandwich, Ma. (www.radecohealth.com) today announced the launch of the RADView(TM) CT dosimeter, a new monitoring device designed to monitor ionizing radiation exposures from Computed Tomography (CT) scans of patients.

The RADView(TM) CT dosimeter is manufactured in the form of a badge smaller than a credit card and contains radiation-sensitive film. X-ray exposure of the RADView(TM) CT dosimeter during a CT scan produces a dye that changes the color of the radiation-sensitive film in proportion to the dose of radiation. The dosimeters have no electronics, require no maintenance, do not interfere with the CT image, and are easier and less expensive to use than conventional and more complex dosimeters.

"We have felt strongly throughout the development of this product that the CT industry and users of CT scanners as well as patients needed an easy-to-use, reliable and inexpensive device to monitor radiation levels," says Paul Lovendale, CEO of RADeCO Health. "Recent reports that directly link radiation exposure from CT to increasing risk of the incidence of cancer suggests that the launch of RADView(TM) CT dosimeter could not have come at a better time for the healthcare industry and the patients it serves."

Two new studies published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine support caution against the overuse of CT scans and other medical technologies that use radiation. The studies also cast new light on the controversial new breast-cancer screening guidelines, which pushed back the recommended age for annual mammograms to 50 from 40. Mammograms also use radiation, but in smaller doses.

One of the studies, which examined more than 1,000 adult patients at four hospitals, projected that the dose of radiation received in a single heart scan at age 40 would later result in cancer in 1 in 270 women and 1 in 600 men.

Risks were lower for those who received a head CT scan: 1 in 8,100 women and 1 in 11,080 men would likely develop cancer from the radiation, the study said. According to the study, doses of radiation from the scans varied widely -- even for the same procedure at the same hospital.

Lovendale is convinced that widespread use of RADView(TM) CT dosimeters will help reduce unintended overexposures during CT scans and assist in reducing patient exposure to radiation without sacrificing image quality. RADeCO Health is the worldwide sales agent for the RADView(TM) dosimetry products manufactured by International Specialty Products, Advanced Materials Group (ISP), headquartered in Wayne, NJ.

RADView(TM) CT badges are self-developing, and provide an immediate visual indication of radiation exposure without requiring a darkroom or processing equipment. Visual reading of RADView(TM) CT personal dosimeters is intuitive and is ideally suited for reviewing CT radiation exposure with a rapid visual observation to estimate exposure. The result can verify that the wearer did not receive an unexpected radiation exposure. Optionally, a more precise quantitative measurement of exposure could be obtained using a densitometer or scanner.

The RADView(TM) CT dosimeter incorporates an adhesive that is medically approved for direct skin contact allowing application of the device to a user at the site of the examination.

Lovendale adds that a particular advantage of the RADView(TM) CT dosimeter is that permanent records of exposed dosimeters can be incorporated in both patient and CT equipment records. "Having a permanent record in a patient's file establishing the level of radiation exposure is extremely beneficial to hospital administrators and operators of CT scanners moving forward," he said.

SOURCE RADeCO Health, Inc.