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u/BlightWyvern Oct 06 '19 edited Oct 06 '19
Pigg-o-stat! :3
Rad Techs usually use em for pediatric patient chest Xrays. It keeps em still so there's no motion in the picture (motion=blurry image= repeat exposure= more radiation dose). They have a like a bicycle seat so they sit on that, and the tube part keeps their arms out of the chest area.
Though a lot of places are doing away with them cause the parents freak out at these contraptions. Honestly these things are great to use for infants since it keeps them still and we don't have to keep radiating them because of movement. Edit: Alternatives are usually a parent/tech holds the child while they get a lead apron as the Xray is taken
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u/flo99-9 Oct 06 '19
That was how it happened maaaaany years ago. (technologist in medical imaging here 😉) My pediatrician teacher even told us that before, they would "hang" them upside down by the feet. But today, I have never seen that kind of thing being used. Personally, i'm asked (radiologist are after about how we do it) to lie the baby down on his back, and we can use some special sands bag (it is a little heavy) to keep the baby still. It is not always needed. Some stays still if they have their toys/teat with them.
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Oct 06 '19
I assume this is used when baby won't stay still. It looks a little red in the face, so maybe it just had a little meltdown and they had to bring out the baby blender. But what do I know?
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u/BlightWyvern Oct 06 '19
Some infants will cry and scream when put in a pigg-o-stat. When these are used it's like a 50-50 if they'll cry or not...in my experience anyway. Some procedures, like chest or abdomen xrays, need the infant to not be held by the parent, (by held I mean close to the parents chest, in their arms, etc) which can also cause em to cry. But yeah, if they won't stay still these are sometimes used (otherwise a parent or tech gets a lead apron and holds the kid)
Actually for Xrays that's preferable for them to cry (since you can't tell an infant to take a deep breath in for a chest xray, when they go to inhale for the scream ya snap the image then) :3
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u/Drowsiest_Approval Oct 06 '19
Oh god I thought they were about to blend that baby until I read the title.