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Home > Archive > Radiology > July 2005 > Obesity -sigh-
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| Obesity is a big problem. Obese patients make things very difficult. I
just had enough today. Trauma C-spine for a big fat patient -- where do
I aim the CR at when you can't see her neck? In a KUB, I can't palpate
the iliac crest. If a PA abdomen, all the soft tissue covers the pelvis
like a lava, so I just eyeball it. The first image will guide me how I
should adjust for next exposure.
I want obesity patients to break all the x-ray tables so that people
start thinking about the problem more seriously. I think all
non-ambulatory obese patients should routinely be sent to CT. I think
all rooms should be equipped with a human crane or forklift so that
techs won't break their backs by lifting. No BE for obese patients.
A new size of screen should be created -- 21 x 21 (no need to worry
about LW or CW).
All stretchers should be equipped with a built-in bucky tray or screen slit.
I want to use a power table rather than a floating table for heavy
patients because the floating table stops moving on me.
Someone told me we should use an X-ray machine for horse.
All in all, I think obese people should be very careful and take care of
themselves to keep their health sound as possible so that they don't
have to come to hospital, especially to diagnostic department.
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| sandia 2005-07-20, 2:05 pm |
| Cindy,
I couldn't have agreed more that obesity is a serious problem for all the
rad. tech. and the patients' health. I think it would be harder to create a
radiation shield for them if they need to go through radiation therapy.
Just curious... Does fat tissue affect CT scan more than MRI/Ultrasonic?
I appreciate everybody's valuable inputs.
Sandy
"Cindy" <cindy15464973@att.net> wrote in message
news:scWdnSxLU66orkrfRVn-ow@comcast.com...
> Obesity is a big problem. Obese patients make things very difficult. I
> just had enough today. Trauma C-spine for a big fat patient -- where do I
> aim the CR at when you can't see her neck? In a KUB, I can't palpate the
> iliac crest. If a PA abdomen, all the soft tissue covers the pelvis like
> a lava, so I just eyeball it. The first image will guide me how I should
> adjust for next exposure.
>
> I want obesity patients to break all the x-ray tables so that people start
> thinking about the problem more seriously. I think all non-ambulatory
> obese patients should routinely be sent to CT. I think all rooms should be
> equipped with a human crane or forklift so that techs won't break their
> backs by lifting. No BE for obese patients.
>
> A new size of screen should be created -- 21 x 21 (no need to worry about
> LW or CW).
>
> All stretchers should be equipped with a built-in bucky tray or screen
> slit.
>
> I want to use a power table rather than a floating table for heavy
> patients because the floating table stops moving on me.
>
> Someone told me we should use an X-ray machine for horse.
>
> All in all, I think obese people should be very careful and take care of
> themselves to keep their health sound as possible so that they don't have
> to come to hospital, especially to diagnostic department.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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| sandia wrote:
> Cindy,
>
> I couldn't have agreed more that obesity is a serious problem for all the
> rad. tech. and the patients' health. I think it would be harder to create a
> radiation shield for them if they need to go through radiation therapy.
One male tech told me that I should get another tech when I am x-raying
a huge patient because I am so tiny. It's safer for both patient and
myself. One nurse told the class that we should stay clear from such
patient if he/she is not laid down. If he/she falls on us, we may be
injured by the large patient. Do you have any other tip for me?
| |
| Imabug 2005-07-20, 2:05 pm |
| During our latest round of equipment purchases, we were requesting
tables with weight limits of 350-400 pounds, and manufacturers were
providing them too. Not so long ago, a table with a 300 pound weight
limit was something I would have considered heavy duty.
A few years ago, the hospital I work at formed a 'Lift Team' in
response to the increasing number of obese patients being admitted.
They have specialized equipment like jumbo wheel chairs and motorized
lifters (miniature cranes basically) and go all over the hospital
whenever someone calls for assistance with a large patient.
| |
| Ray Laughton 2005-07-20, 2:05 pm |
| sandia <via@nttp.com> wrote:
> I couldn't have agreed more that obesity is a serious problem for all the
> rad. tech. and the patients' health. I think it would be harder to create a
> radiation shield for them if they need to go through radiation therapy.
Not really, its just much harder to see whats going on when its time to
simulate the therapy! (C-arm type fluoro) The radiation shield
thickness is dependent on the energy of the radiation, not the size of
the patient. The shield size is also not much bigger because these are
basically normal size people covered in a thick layer of lard.
> Just curious... Does fat tissue affect CT scan more than MRI/Ultrasonic?
Its the other way round. Fat tissue is usually no problem in CT, for
ultrasound its a big problem. In fact the abdominal CT of a moderately
fat person is easier to report than that of a skinny person because the
fat separates the anatomical structures nicely.
However very obese people are much more difficult as the quality of the
slices becomes degraded by the huge diameter of tissue the beam has to
pass thru. CT couches have their weight limits too. Some of these folks
would be better off in a vet clinic where they have big CTs for horses
and cows.
> I appreciate everybody's valuable inputs.
> Sandy
anytime
ray
| |
| Ray Laughton 2005-07-20, 2:05 pm |
| Cindy <cindy15464973@att.net> wrote:
> Obesity is a big problem. Obese patients make things very difficult. I
> just had enough today. Trauma C-spine for a big fat patient -- where do
> I aim the CR at when you can't see her neck? In a KUB, I can't palpate
> the iliac crest. If a PA abdomen, all the soft tissue covers the pelvis
> like a lava, so I just eyeball it. The first image will guide me how I
> should adjust for next exposure.
Hmm.... Half the country is overweight nowdays, surely rad tech school
must be keeping up with the times and giving tips on how to deal with
these folks?
ray
| |
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| Ray Laughton wrote:
> Hmm.... Half the country is overweight nowdays, surely rad tech school
> must be keeping up with the times and giving tips on how to deal with
> these folks?
Rad tech schools must be far behind. We need 400-pound mannequins that
can not show the necks or need one cassette on each lung.
As long as I remember, more than 60% of the country is overweight.
Therefore, they are normal; healthy weight is not.
| |
| sandia 2005-07-20, 2:05 pm |
| Ray, thanks for your answers. They clarified my misunderstanding.
I have some thoughts about Cindy's problem:
I think the hospital should create a work-out team for the obese
staff/volunteers,
or should hire over weighted staff: to help lifting heavy patients. In that
case, more people can lose weight.
Also, it would be an engineer's job to design a 500-pound mannequins for the
future. A design competition for college kids may help.
"Cindy" <cindy15464973@att.net> wrote in message
news:AvudnejjE-kU20HfRVn-vQ@comcast.com...
> Ray Laughton wrote:
>
>
> Rad tech schools must be far behind. We need 400-pound mannequins that
> can not show the necks or need one cassette on each lung.
>
> As long as I remember, more than 60% of the country is overweight.
> Therefore, they are normal; healthy weight is not.
| |
| Ray Laughton 2005-07-20, 2:05 pm |
| sandia <via@nttp.com> wrote:
> Ray, thanks for your answers. They clarified my misunderstanding.
>
> I have some thoughts about Cindy's problem:
> I think the hospital should create a work-out team for the obese
> staff/volunteers,
> or should hire over weighted staff: to help lifting heavy patients. In that
> case, more people can lose weight.
LOL! You're forgetting these are the colleagues that are taking off sick
because of slipped discs etc..
They need to hire a couple of fit weightlifters.
> Also, it would be an engineer's job to design a 500-pound mannequins for the
> future. A design competition for college kids may help.
Design? No, they have to look and feel just like the slobs that are
getting lifted. They could make plaster casts of the patients -> molds
-> latex bodies -> fill them with sandbags etc to make them heavy
enough..
ray
| |
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| sandia wrote:
> Ray, thanks for your answers. They clarified my misunderstanding.
>
> I have some thoughts about Cindy's problem:
> I think the hospital should create a work-out team for the obese
> staff/volunteers,
> or should hire over weighted staff: to help lifting heavy patients. In that
> case, more people can lose weight.
> Also, it would be an engineer's job to design a 500-pound mannequins for the
> future. A design competition for college kids may help.
You're right. It seems like it always is skinny people who have to lift
large patients. I wonder why.
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