Health News: Feb. 25 paper

Automated formula reduces children’s radiation doses
FREDERICKSBURG — Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg has partnered with the Image Gently Campaign to increase awareness of opportunities to lower the radiation dose when imaging children. Image Gently is an initiative of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging. 

“RAF radiologists and technologists have undergone additional training in ways to reduce radiation exposure, especially with CT scanning.  We now have age and weight based CT protocols. This helps proportion the radiation dose when imaging children,” said Dr. Christopher M. Meyer, a radiologist partner of RAF who serves as medical director of radiology at Mary Washington Hospital and physician coordinator of the Image Gently Campaign. “These protocols are similar to those used at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and other leading children’s hospitals.”

Prior to the weight based protocols, RAF implemented several programs aimed at decreasing radiation dose. Before this campaign, the radiologic technologists would manually decrease the dose based on less precise methods that are still followed by most imaging facilities today.  RAF’s process is now a structured and automated formula.

All four outpatient imaging centers of Medical Imaging of Fredericksburg, including Medical Imaging of North Stafford, as well as imaging facilities at Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital, are participating in the Image Gently Campaign.

 — Press release

Hospital makes use of Chest Pain Observation beds
STAFFORD — Stafford Hospital recently began using a few of its beds as Chest Pain Observation beds.

This is a way for patients to be monitored without having to be admitted to the hospital, according to Carol Wagner of Stafford Hospital. 

Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital are the only hospitals in the area to feature Chest Pain Observation beds, she said.

Shawn Small-Sanders, an adult nurse practitioner for cardiology, said that five beds are being used.

Small-Sanders said that patients’ care can be better managed this way so that their diagnostic tests and procedures are done on a timely basis.

Lower risk patients, such as those not experiencing a heart attack, will head to Stafford Hospital if they’re experiencing chest pain, versus Mary Washington, Small-Sanders said, though distance is considered.

Small-Sanders explained that the patients’ more specialized care can be collaborated on among emergency room doctors, specialists and others. Diagnoses can be made, and appropriate interventions can assist with that through collaboration, she said.

“It’s a great thing,” Small-Sanders said.  “We want to educate the patient on lifestyle changes. If they have high cholesterol or are overweight, we can talk to them about their lifestyle.”

Other than a heart attack, possible reasons for chest pain include heartburn, a skeletal issue, costochondritis, an infection, pneumonia, reflux or gurge.
“It’s always important to rule out the heart,” she said.

— Staff report