Patients exposed to excess radiation by out-of-date radiology device

Patients are being exposed to radiation doses at the “upper limit of safe” because a hospital is relying on a radiology machine three years after its “end of life” with a substandard second-hand part.

The risk was revealed in board papers from Medway Foundation Trust, in Kent, among several other serious problems linked to outdated equipment.

Recent board papers said the machine was necessary for maintaining the trust’s interventional radiology service which includes being on-call 24/7.

It said: “Owing to the age of the machine we are experiencing a growing number of faults and breakdowns and due to its age no new parts are available.

“At present a second hand tube has been installed to replace the existing faulty equipment.”

But the papers went on to say the second-hand part has a defect “causing serious issues with the imaging [which] has the potential to increase imaging acquisitions required which will increase patient radiation dose and lengthen the procedure time”. 

A business case for a new machine described current radiation doses as “within the upper limit of safe”.

The trust indicated “mitigations” are in place, including additional reviews of patients who use it.

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Source: HSJ, 11 March 2024