Radiation shield for x-ray examination table
Radiation shield assemblies for attenuation of X-ray radiation between a patient and attending medical staff are attachable to an examination table for monitoring the patient during X-ray examination procedures.
1. A radiation shield assembly, comprising:
a radiation attenuating touch screen being at least partially transparent to visible light;
a base attachable substantially parallel to a surface of an examination table, the radiation attenuating touch screen connectable to the base to interpose the radiation attenuating touch screen between attending medical staff and a patient disposed on the examination table, the partially transparent radiation attenuating touch screen configured to permit the medical staff to manipulate control icons on the radiation attenuating touch screen while simultaneously viewing the patient therethrough; and
wherein the radiation attenuating touch screen depends at an angle from the base in a direction of the surface of the examination table to permit the medical staff to incline in a direction of the patient, the radiation attenuating touch screen including a radiodense material to reduce radiation exposure to the medical staff while irradiating the patient.
2. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the radiation attenuated while irradiating the patient is measured in milliroentgens per hour (mR/hr).
3. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the radiation attenuating touch screen is a lead (Pb) acrylic sheet from about 10 mm to about 14 mm in thickness, more particularly about 12 mm.
4. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the radiation attenuating touch screen includes control icons being selected from the group consisting of an on-control, an off-control, a camera record control, a zoom control, a voice control and combinations thereof.
5. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the radiation attenuating touch screen reduces radiation exposure to facial areas of attending medical staff from about ninety percent to about ninety-four percent, more particularly by about ninety-three point eight percent (93.8%).
6. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the radiation attenuating touch screen reduces radiation exposure to abdominal areas of attending medical staff from about ninety-five percent to about ninety-nine percent, more particularly by about ninety-seven point four percent (97.4%).
7. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the angle of the radiation attenuating touch screen is about twenty-five degrees measured from vertical.
8. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the angle of the radiation attenuating touch screen is adjustable from about five degrees to about forty-five degrees measured from vertical.
9. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , further comprising a frame disposed about the radiation attenuating touch screen.
10. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 9 , wherein the frame is configured at about twenty-five degrees from vertical to cause the radiation attenuating touch screen to depend from the base at the angle in the direction of the surface of the examination table.
11. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 9 , wherein the base includes a plurality of apertures therein and the frame includes a plurality of tabs depending therefrom, the tabs being configured to slot into the apertures to seat the base and the frame together.
12. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 11 , wherein the apertures are greater in number than the tabs, the tabs being seated in different apertures to move the radiation attenuating touch screen relative to the examination table.
13. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 9 , wherein the frame further comprises a latch retractor and a latch, and the base further comprises a notch to receive the latch, the latch being controllable by the latch retractor to release the latch from the notch.
14. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 1 , further comprising an attachment assembly connectable to the examination table, the base being connectable to the attachment assembly.
15. A radiation shield assembly, comprising:
a radiation attenuating shield having a plurality of tabs depending therefrom and including a touch screen being at least partially transparent to visible light configured to permit the medical staff to manipulate control icons on the touch screen while simultaneously viewing the patient therethrough; and
a base attachable substantially parallel to a surface of an examination table, the base having a plurality of apertures therein for receiving the tabs of the radiation attenuating shield to interpose the radiation attenuating shield between attending medical staff and a patient disposed on the examination table, the radiation attenuating shield depending at an angle from the base in a direction of the surface of the examination table to permit the medical staff to incline in a direction of the patient, the radiation attenuating shield including a radiodense material to reduce radiation exposure to the medical staff while irradiating the patient.
16. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 15 , wherein the radiation attenuating shield has a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, and at least two of the tabs extend from the top and at least two tabs extend from the bottom.
17. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 16 , wherein at least one set of the tabs at the top and the bottom are inclined to cause the radiation shield assembly to angle toward the table.
18. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 15 , wherein the radiation shield assembly is formed with a bend to cause the radiation shield assembly to angle toward the table from about five degrees to about forty-five degrees from vertical, more particularly about twenty-five degrees from vertical in a direction of the examination table.
19. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 18 , wherein the bend is off center and the radiation shield assembly has a first portion depending from the bend that is longer than a second portion depending from the bend.
20. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 15 , wherein the radiodense material is equivalent to about 0.5 mm lead.
21. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 15 , wherein the radiation attenuating screen reduces radiation exposure to attending medical staff from about ninety percent to about ninety-nine percent.
22. A radiation shield assembly, comprising:
a frame having a top, a bottom, a first side and a second side, a plurality of tabs depending from one of the top, bottom, first side or second side;
a radiation attenuating touch screen disposed within the frame, the radiation attenuating touch screen being transparent to visible light configured to permit the medical staff to manipulate control icons on the radiation attenuating touch screen while simultaneously viewing the patient therethrough and including a radiodense material to reduce radiation exposure to attending medical staff during a procedure; and
a base attachable substantially parallel to a surface of an examination table, the tabs of the frame connectable to the base to interpose the radiation attenuating touch screen between the attending medical staff and a patient disposed on the examination table, the transparent radiation attenuating touch screen configured to permit the medical staff to view the patient during the procedure;
wherein the tabs or the frame depend at an angle in a direction of the surface of the examination table to permit the medical staff to incline in a direction of the patient.
23. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 22 , wherein the radiation attenuating touch screen includes a lead (Pb) acrylic sheet from about 10 mm to about 14 mm in thickness, more particularly about 12 mm.
24. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 22 , wherein the radiation attenuating touch screen reduces radiation exposure to attending medical staff from about ninety percent to about ninety-nine percent.
25. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 22 , further comprising controls connected to one of the frame or the base, the controls being selected from the group consisting of an on-control, an off-control, a camera record control, a zoom control, a voice control and combinations thereof.
26. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 22 , further comprising a camera attachable to the frame, and a portion of the radiation attenuating touch screen is a video monitor in communication with the camera for monitoring the patient.
27. The radiation shield assembly as in claim 22 , wherein the angle of the radiation attenuating touch screen is adjustable from about five degrees to about forty-five degrees from vertical, more particularly about twenty-five degrees from vertical in a direction of the examination table.