Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The CT community is taking laudable steps to cut radiation dose delivered to children during imaging studies. But what about teenagers?
A new story in our Pediatric Imaging Digital Community describes how teenagers with children-sized bodies may be at risk. These teens may be receiving radiation dose levels comparable to those of adults, when they actually should be receiving less, according to an article by staff writer Cynthia Keen.
To address the problem, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston developed a formula to estimate effective pediatric dose that includes teens. Find out how they did it by clicking here.
You'll also find a new story in the community on the use of Doppler ultrasound as a screening tool to reduce the incidence of stroke in children with sickle cell disease. That article is available by clicking here.
Get these stories and more in our Pediatric Imaging Digital Community at pediatric.auntminnie.com.
Imagify rejected
In other news, ultrasound contrast developer Acusphere of Watertown, MA, was dealt a blow yesterday when a new drug application (NDA) for its Imagify contrast agent was rejected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel. The company says it will continue to work on getting the NDA approved, but it's a major blow to the firm. Learn more by clicking here.
Healthcare IT funding
Finally, an economic stimulus package under consideration in Washington, DC, could include tax breaks and funding for the purchase of healthcare information technology, according to a new article in our Healthcare IT Digital Community.
A plan being pushed by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) would include the health IT breaks as part of an overall stimulus package estimated to be worth $500 billion to $700 billion. A specific dollar amount hasn't been placed on the health IT portion, but Baucus said that estimates of $50 billion might be "a little high."
Get the rest of the details by clicking here, or visit the community at healthcareit.auntminnie.com.
