A hotlab uses a combination of shielding, handling, and containment equipment to protect staff working with unsealed radioactive material. This includes lead pots and lead bricks cave for source storage, syringe shields made of lead or tungsten for protecting hands during dose preparation, lead shielded multi syringe holders and single syringe holders, shielded syringe carriers for transport within the department, and a lead shielded waste bin and lead sharps container for safe disposal. We at Meditronix provide a complete Hotlab solution that suits your department and makes it safe to use and AERB compliant.

Airborne radioactive contamination, particularly from volatile radiopharmaceuticals, is controlled using a fume hood and glove box, which create a contained working environment and filter or exhaust air safely away from staff. These are standard fixtures in any hotlab handling unsealed sources.

For transport, a DOT Type A compliant radiopharmaceutical container such as a Compact PET Shipping System is used to move doses between facilities. For waste that needs to decay before disposal, a lead shielded decay drum allows short lived radioactive waste to be stored safely until its activity drops to a permissible level.

The dose calibrator verifies that the activity of a radiopharmaceutical dose matches what is prescribed before it leaves the hotlab. This is itself a radiation protection step, since it prevents the unnecessary preparation, handling, or administration of doses that are higher than required. Simply saying dose calibrator is the heart of a nuclear medicine hotlab. Without it, the activity of a dose being given to a patient cannot be verified before administration.