BackgroundDiagnostic investigations using radiation have become a critical feature of medical practice in recent times. However, the possibility of doctors’ underestimation of risks of over-exposure of patients to diagnostic radiation still warrants further evaluation.ObjectivesTo investigate doctors’ awareness of diagnostic radiation exposure at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, South Africa.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, analytical investigation of the awareness of doctors about radiation exposure in diagnostic radiology investigations. A cluster sampling technique was employed to recruit 217 participants. Consent and approval of the participants were sought and obtained before questionnaire administration during departmental meetings between October 2017 and March 2018.ResultsOf the participants, 80% had no formal training on radiation exposure and 33.8% of them correctly estimated natural background radiation. Correct estimates of the effective dose from a single-view abdominal X-ray (AXR) were expressed by 7.5%, quantity of radiation of a single-phase computed tomography (CT) abdomen by 30.3% and dosage from a two-view unilateral mammogram by 29.1% of the participants. More than 75% of participants agreed that children are more sensitive to radiation, but only 10.5% suggested medical termination of pregnancy for a woman who had CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast. Dosage and risk of inducing fatal cancer from common but more complex imaging procedures were poorly understood. Only the doctors of the radiology department showed a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) association with regards to their radiation awareness.ConclusionBecause of the high rate of poor awareness of radiation risks observed in this study, it is important to initiate, early in the medical curriculum for medical students, the need for a rotation in the Department of Radiology, similar to such rotations in other medical specialties.
adrenoreceptors as its action can readily be reversed with conventional (3 blockers. Utilisation of a lipophilic domain in the area around the (3 receptor may lead to exoreceptor binding, which would then localise the drug near [i adrenoreceptors.30 We conclude that inhaled salmeterol is an effective treatment for nocturnal asthma at both 50 and 100 [tg twice daily, and that the 50 .tg dose also significantly improves objective sleep quality. Comparison of the efficacies of salmeterol and theophylline in treating nocturnal asthma is an important next step in determining the optimal treatment for asthmatic patients. 11 Heins M, Kurtin L, Oellerich M, Maes R, Sybrecht GW. Nocturnal asthma:
We present a 38-year-old male patient who sustained a minor and superficial stab injury in the left flank as well as a laceration on the scalp overlying the right parietal bone. On examination the classical triad of Klippel-Feil syndrome (short neck, low posterior hair line, limitation of neck movements) were observed. Further investigations revealed a plethora of congenital anomalies, including atlanto-occipital fusion, basilar impression, congenital fusion of CS and C6 vertebrae, scoliosis with convexity to the right side, complete situs inversus, and bilateral pelvic kidneys. Despite these multiple anomalies our patient still lives a relatively normal life and only sought medical help after minor injuries sustained during a brawl, for which he was treated in the hospital and discharged the following day.
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