Lymphoscintigraphy
Michael Ljungberg in Handbook of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging for Physicists, 2022
During an SLN surgery procedure, certain equipment used in the handling of radioactive tissues and materials such as absorptive surgical sponges might present measurable contamination. The probability of material becoming contaminated is higher in the vicinity of the injection site. It is advisable to monitor surgery equipment and materials for contamination. Although the material presents a negligible contamination hazard, they constitute radioactive clinical waste and need to be handled as such as per institutional radiation safety procedures. The waste will also be a biohazard and should be handled accordingly. Personnel not accustomed to dealing with radioactive materials should undergo education as to safe handling and disposal of radioactive waste. Educating surgical and pathologist staff in radiation safety can also reassure concerned individuals and ensure appropriate processing of radioactive tissues [31, 33, 34].
Case studies (2006–2020)
Stephen Verderber, Ben J. Refuerzo in Innovations in Hospice Architecture, 2019
The hospice is ecologically sustainable, in day to day operations, with renewable energy systems and waste management best practices, minimizing its carbon footprint. It was of high priority to maintain the sanctity of the nearby Ganges River and its mountainous foothills (Figures 6.7.1 and 6.7.2). The hospice teamed with the Rishikesh-based organization Clean Himalaya. Clean Himalaya provides educational guidance in the field of waste management and as a result the hospice segregates its wastes at their source: organic waste is composted with the option of a bio-gas system whereby kitchen waste is converted to fuel for cooking. Biohazard medical waste is remediated on-site as well. To minimize air pollution, no waste, organic or otherwise, is burnt on-site and the use of plastic and deposable plastic is eschewed; the emphasis is on local sourcing of supplies produced from recycled materials. Its wastewater treatment system does not require electrical or chemical intervention, as treated black and grey wastewater feeds the hospice’s therapeutic gardens.
Introduction
Tina Stevens, Stuart Newman in Biotech Juggernaut, 2019
As researchers began closing in on the laboratory techniques that would make genetic engineering a reality, the wide moral scope of the “anticipatory era” in which there was open and accepted speculation about social consequences narrowed. What was of most concern to those in the field was lab safety. In 1970, Stanford scientist Paul Berg planned to introduce a tumor-causing gene into a bacterium. In 1970 scientists revealed newly discovered “restriction enzymes” that could cut strands of DNA at specific points to combine them with DNA of other organisms. These developments raised alarm over the biohazards of creating novel organisms. When, in 1974, some bioscientists called for a moratorium on genetic engineering research, it was not inspired by the expansive ethical framing characteristic of the anticipatory era. At the now famed 1975 Asilomar conference, sometimes viewed as a milestone of responsible science, the opening remarks of scientist David Baltimore exemplified a much constricted field of moral vision: Although I think it’s obvious that this technology is possibly the most potent potential technology in biological warfare, this meeting is not designed to deal with that question . . . We are here . . . to balance the benefits and hazards right now and to design a strategy which will maximize the benefits and minimize the hazards for the future.(Weiner, 1999, p. 58)
Unplanned out-of-hospital birth apparatus benefits: A paramedic simulation trial
Published in Health Care for Women International, 2022
Spilled blood and bodily fluids are common during surgical operations (Beckett & Bright, 2013). It is a biohazard for healthcare workers, particularly in emergencies where there is little time to prepare for personal protection. Blood and body fluid usually contain pathogens that cause infectious disease in healthcare workers in many directions, for example, percutaneous injuries, accidental puncture, and abrasion (Denault & Gardner, 2022). As a result, establishing and maintaining an exposure control program is a vital component of the work plan. Additionally, safety instruction and engineering control are provided concurrently. In comparison to the intervention group, our findings indicated that footwear was the most frequent source of fluid spillage in the conventional group. This means that our safety equipment incorporated a safeguard against paramedics becoming contaminated with bodily fluids. This piece of equipment had a baby tray and a drainage hole for bodily fluid collection.
COVID-19: ensuring our medical equipment can meet the challenge
Published in Expert Review of Medical Devices, 2020
Francesco Garzotto, Erica Ceresola, Sofia Panagiotakopoulou, Giovanni Spina, Francesca Menotto, Marco Benozzi, Maurizio Casarotto, Corrado Lanera, Maria Giuseppina Bonavina, Dario Gregori, Gaudenzio Meneghesso, Giuseppe Opocher
The availability of essential medical equipments to support patients affected by Covid-19 is globally limited. Our data on the ICUs load confirms the enormous pressure they will be under. Our review on the measures taken by countries to address this criticality, highlights the limited availability of dedicated actions. Furthermore, there is no link between them, discouraging a wide action. A globally harmonized regulation for the most useful medical devices for coronavirus patients can standardize their production and thus ensure compliance with all national legislation. Furthermore, a guideline on how to handle medical equipments under the Covid-19 emergency, as done by WHO for the management of patients, is of upmost necessary, leaving room for dangerous actions. In this exceptional situation scientist and technology experts in collaboration with medical specialists should work together to re-assess the risks analysis [24] on medical equipment management and their use (and re-use) in a biohazard context with the aim to improve the global health care Every effort must be made to provide the necessary devices at least with the minimum acceptable performances for Covid-19 patients while maintaining a high standard of safety for users. Predicting when and where exactly to allocate these resources with the current knowledge of the disease is a challenge. Demand mitigation can currently only occur when early and appropriate virus containment measures are provided, followed by a rapid and effective response in handling positive cases.
The senseless orphanage of Chagas disease
Published in Expert Opinion on Orphan Drugs, 2019
Cristina Alonso-Vega, Irene Losada-Galván, María-Jesus Pinazo, Javier Sancho Mas, Joaquim Gascón Brustenga, Julio Alonso-Padilla
Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is a systemic parasitic disease caused by the flagellated protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). The infection is transmitted in the feces of infected hematophagous vectors such as Triatoma infestans, that, upon a bloodmeal, defecate near the bite site or near mucosal tissue [1]. Parasites in the feces will then gain access to the bloodstream through micro-injuries caused by scratching the bite site or through the mucosa [2]. Oral transmission due to the ingestion of parasite-contaminated food or drink has been documented as well [3,4]. Vector-independent transmission routes such as blood transfusion, organ transplant, and congenital have been described too [1]. Another possible route of infection can occur in case of a biohazard incident in the laboratory upon manipulating parasite containing samples [5].
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