Question
(07/11/2011):
Title:
Pregnant exposed to thallium stress test patient.
I visited
my uncle 12 hours after his thallium cardiac stress test.
I hugged
him and spent two hours talking to him I even used his cell phone.
I was
three meters away.
I'm 6
weeks pregnant and didn't know about his thallium stress test till
I was about to leave.
Please
help how could this affect my fetus?
Nagham
Answer:
Dear
Nagham,
In the
thallium cardiac stress test the blood that flows through the heart
generally is checked injecting a small amount of thallium-201 into
a vein and obtaining images during the stress test (maximal heart
rate).
The amount
of thallium-201 absorbed by the cells of the heart muscle depends
on the circulation.
The entire
test can take about 4 hours and the thallium is excreted rapidly by
the kidneys
Thallium-201
chloride can cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women
and can affect reproduction capacity.
However,
Thallium-201 chloride is administered to a pregnant woman when the
benefits clearly outweigh any potential risk.
Usually
the small amount of the radioactive substance injected in the thallium
cardiac stress test is harmless.
You may
find more information regarding your question at:
Exposure
to thallium in 22 weeks of pregnancy
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