Nuclear Regulatory Commission to update guidance on releasing patients after radioactive treatment

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week opened a public comment period on new proposed guidance that would update how hospitals determine when patients can be released after receiving treatment with radioactive materials. 

The guidance applies to patients who receive unsealed radioactive material, such as radiopharmaceuticals, as well as those treated with radioactive implants. It is intended to help providers more accurately estimate the timing, circumstances and risks associated with patient release following treatment, including potential radiation exposure to caregivers and other members of the public. 

Exposure to caregivers is a major focus of the proposed update. Family members or other caregivers may spend substantially more time in close proximity to a patient after radiopharmaceutical therapy than members of the general public. Under current guidelines, licensees may release a patient if the total effective dose equivalent to any other individual is not likely to exceed 5 millisieverts; the draft provides guidance for applying new definitions and dose limits related to medical uses of radioactive material, including the doses of caregivers.