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8-Nuclear Pharmacy

Nuclear pharmacy is a specialty area of pharmacy dedicated to the safe preparation and dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine for diagnosis and treatment. It involves receiving radioactive materials, quality testing radiopharmaceuticals, aseptically preparing doses, storing and dispensing the doses, and disposing of radioactive waste. Nuclear pharmacists work in hospitals under the direction of either the pharmacy director or the head of the nuclear medicine department to support nuclear medicine procedures.

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maham jahangir
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148 views19 pages

8-Nuclear Pharmacy

Nuclear pharmacy is a specialty area of pharmacy dedicated to the safe preparation and dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine for diagnosis and treatment. It involves receiving radioactive materials, quality testing radiopharmaceuticals, aseptically preparing doses, storing and dispensing the doses, and disposing of radioactive waste. Nuclear pharmacists work in hospitals under the direction of either the pharmacy director or the head of the nuclear medicine department to support nuclear medicine procedures.

Uploaded by

maham jahangir
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Nuclear Pharmacy

1
• A specialty area is the one that requires a
concentration of knowledge in a once specific
area.
• The development of nuclear pharmacy as a
specialty area followed the development of
nuclear medicine as a recognized specialty by
the American Medical Association in the early
1970's.

2
• Nuclear Medicine
A specialty of medicine and
medical imaging that uses
radiopharmaceuticals in the
diagnosis and treatment of
diseases.

3
• Nuclear Pharmacy
A specialty area of pharmacy dedicated to the receiving,
preparation, quality control, storage, compounding and
dispensing radiopharmaceuticals. Also deals with the
disposal of radioactive wastes and documentation
Nuclear pharmacy is a service to improve and promote
health through safe and effective use of
radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis, therapy and
palliation. Some time it is called radio pharmacy

4
What are the applications of
Radiopharmacy?
1. Diagnostic The radiopharmaceutical accumulated in an organ of interest
emit gamma radiation which are used for imaging of the organs with the
help of an external imaging device called gamma camera.

2. Treatment They are radiolabeled molecules designed to deliver


therapeutic doses of ionizing radiation to specific diseased sites. Iodine 131
and iodine 123 are used for the treatment of thyrotoxicosis and thyroid
carcinoma.
3. Palliative: it refers to the management of symptoms when underlying
disease is terminal or untreatable. people having lungs and breast cancer
suffers from the development of metastasis in bones. Therapeutic
radiopharmaceuticals containing radionuclides such as strontium-89 are
used for effective palliation of bone pain in cancer.
4. Research: they administer radioisotopes to examine whether or not
drug cross the b-b barrier. 5
Operation of a Nuclear Pharmacy

1. Receiving of radioactive materials


2. Preparation of radiopharmaceuticals
3. Quality control tests of radiopharmaceuticals
4. Storage
5. Dispensing
6. Radioactive waste disposal
7. Infectious waste disposal

6
Receiving radioactive materials
• Delivered directly to nuclear medicine
department or nuclear pharmacy (short half-
lives)
• Packages should be monitored within 3 hr if
delivered during normal hours
• Packages should be monitored within 3 hr from
the beginning of the next working day if
delivered after working hours
Preparation of radiopharmaceuticals
• Only trained people should be responsible for and participate in
the preparation
• Aseptic technique
• Lead barrier shields (Adequate shielding must be used to protect
laboratory personnel from ionizing radiation.)
• Syringe shields
• Leaded gloves, aprons, and eye glasses should be worn
• Quantity
• Radiopharmaceuticals should be identified with a label containing
the information as to the total activity concentration
Radiation shielding

• Alpha and beta radiations are readily shielded because of


their limited range of penetration.

Radiation Protection
Alpha particles Piece of paper
•Mono-energetic and have a
range of a few centimeters in air
Beta radiation •Aluminum
•Glass
•Transparent plastic materials
Gamma radiation •Lead
•Tungsten
Quality Control Tests of Radiopharmaceuticals

• Before dispensing for humans


• Colloidal and macro-aggregated preparation
should be checked for particle size.
• Workstations and their environment should
regularly be monitored with respect to aseptic
quality.
Quality control tests of
radiopharmaceuticals
• Visual Inspection of Product
- Visual inspection of the compounded radiopharmaceutical
shall be conducted to ensure the absence of foreign
matter
- Assessment of Radioactivity
-The amount of radioactivity in each compounded
radiopharmaceutical should be verified and documented
prior to dispensing, using a proper standardized
radionuclide (dose) calibrator.
Storage
• Should be properly stored to prevent
degradation by light or temperature
• Must be stored in lead containers or
behind lead shields

12
Dispensing
• Starts with a prescription
• Prescription should contain
1. Patients name
2. Identification no.
3. Age
4. Date time
5. Physician signature

13
Radioactive waste disposal
• Syringes, vials containing residual activities,
needles, contaminated papers, liquid waste have
some residual activities.
• According to guideline
1. Decay in storage
2. Release into a sewerage system
3. Transfer to an authorized recipient (disposable
facility)
4. Others (incineration and atmospheric release of
radioactive gases)
14
DISPOSAL FOR SHORT-LIVED RADIO-NUCLIED:
Used syringes and vials have residual activities and are disposed off like
other solid or dry waste these materials are disposed of in containers
provided for this purpose in radio pharmacy. These containers are emptied
into central-shielded waste container for disposal where waste are retained
for their total decay. After 10 half ;life of material, the waste is disposed off.
FOR WATER SOLUBLE RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL:
The water or dispersible liquids should be poured in
sink specified for this purpose followed by flow of
water which is designed so that waste is stored for its
decay. Disposed quantity should not exceed limit of
maximum permitted concentration.
LONG-LIVED:
The waste of long-lived are to be transferred to
authorized commercial firms that bury them at
approved
King Saud University
sites 15
King Saud University 16
Infectious waste disposal
• Should be stored in puncture
resistant, leak resistant bags or
containers
• Should be labeled with
international biohazard symbol
• Storage period

17
Biohazard Sign

• Ionizing • Non
Ionizing
radiation
radiation

Radiation Danger
High Level Source

18
organisation

• Speciality Part of hospital pharmacy


– Performs under the direction of pharmacy
director.
• Or
• Section of nuclear medicine department
– function under the head of NMD who is a
physician
– Radio pharmacist will be the incharge of
radiopharmaceuticals

19

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