Nuclear Medicine Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Nuclear Medicine - Research Paper Example r radionuclide, which is in a bond with a supplementary molecules (such as, peptide, protein, or drug) or particles, that cumulates in the required tissue or organ after introducing it in the patient’s body through inhalation, swallowing, or injection (National Research Council, 2007). Depending on the characteristics, different radiopharmaceuticals are used for different diagnosis and treatment processes. Radiopharmaceuticals generally discharge beta or alpha radiation. As beta and alpha radiations are more effective than the gamma radiation that is used in diagnosis process, they are widely exploited in the most nuclear medicine procedures (National Research Council, 2007). The preparation of patients for nuclear medicine processes varies according to the type of examination or test. However, there are certain standard guidelines which are required to follow while preparing the patient to ensure the accuracy of tests. There is no need of special preparations for the scans associated with the inflammatory, bones, pulmonary, brain, lymphatic and renal systems (Patient Care, 2014). However, specific drug allergies are required to be noted by means of Diamox for brain scanning. For the scans associated with the gastrointestinal system, patients are required to fast for at least 4-5 hours (Patient Care, 2014). Some such scanning tests need pre-medicating as a part of a preparation. Further, cardiac tests consist of fasting of at least 4-5 hours prior to the test and persantine stress test need no consumption of caffeine for at least 24-30 hours before the test (Patient Care, 2014). Thyroid scanning needs pause on the consumption of specific medications befo re the scanning. Also, patients are required to inform their physician about the own medical history and present medications before going through the nuclear medicine procedures (Patient Care, 2014). Nuclear medicine is a painless, affordable, and safe mode of collecting medical data that would be otherwise