TY - JOUR T1 - Nuclear Medicine Radiation Exposure and COVID-19 Pertaining to V/Q Lung Studies; A Technologist Perspective JF - Journal of Nuclear Medicine JO - J Nucl Med SP - 181 LP - 181 VL - 62 IS - supplement 1 AU - Hailey Broska AU - Chelsea Webb AU - Sarah Frye AU - Razi Muzaffar AU - Medhat Osman Y1 - 2021/05/01 UR - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/62/supplement_1/181.abstract N2 - 181Objectives: Nuclear medicine technologists experience various exposures throughout a typical workday. However, the introduction of Covid-19 to the work environment has produced a new hazard that needs to be addressed. Occupational exposure is currently limited to 50 mSv per year according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which can be received from a source or machine. Conversely, there is no limit on COVID-19 exposure and the guidelines on proper personal protective equipment (PPE) usage are continually being updated during the current pandemic. One of the most common studies in Nuclear Medicine is the Ventilation/Perfusion (V/Q) Lung scan which also poses as one of the biggest exposure risks to nuclear medicine technologists regarding both radiation and COVID-19. Patient cooperation is key to a proper ventilation study. If the patient is unable to tolerate the mask or there is not a sufficient seal on the mask, the leaking radiotracer not only adds to the technologist’s radiation burden but also COVID-19 exposure. In addition, the contamination of the Xenon delivery system has prompted new SNMMI guidelines during the pandemic to forego the ventilation portion of the exam. At our institution, the ventilation portion of the study is no longer performed during the pandemic and have switched to perfusion images with SPECT/CT as our new standard of care protocol. The purpose of the study is to review this alternative lung study and compare imaging time, radiation and COVID-19 exposure. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed the current institutional imaging protocols and SNMMI recommendations for V/Q studies. The imaging protocols were reviewed and measurements of the total imaging time, radiation exposure and COVID-19 exposure were assessed. Perfusion SPECT protocol parameters are 15 seconds a stop for 120 stops, acquiring on both heads. The CT portion has the low-dose screening chest CT protocol. Results: The traditional standard protocol at our institution utilized 5 mCi of Tc-99m MAA for the perfusion portion of the study (2.035 mSv) and 20 mCi Xe-133 (0.54 mSv) for a total of 2.575 mSv. Taking advantage of the new cameras and technology at our institution, we reduced the perfusion dose to 4 mCi of Tc-99m MAA for the perfusion portion of the study (1.63 mSv) and the low-dose CT adds 1.0 mSv for a total of 2.63 mSv. The total imaging time is < 18 mins for the SPECT/CT and 30-60 mins for the traditional V/Q study. Conclusion: Eliminating the ventilation portion of the exam and performing SPECT/CT provides for a considerably faster exam time with comparable radiation exposure to the patient. Furthermore, it significantly reduces the radiation exposure to a technologist by decreasing the time spent with the patients, is less reliant of patient cooperation and provides for technically better-quality studies. The additional major benefit is reducing the COVID-19 exposure to technologists during the pandemic. ER -