The following information was obtained from the State of
Alabama via facsimile:
On April 9, 2013, [the Certified Nuclear Medicine Technician] for Baptist Medical Center-Princeton, Birmingham, Alabama, notified the Alabama Office of Radiation Control of a fetal/embryo dose that could be over 500 milliRem.
On March 1, 2013, a 36 year old female had a thyroidectomy due to thyroid cancer. Following surgery on March 6, the patient had general lab work which included a negative pregnancy test. On March 26, the patient returned for a 50 millicurie I-131 treatment on the remaining thyroid tissue. The technologist administering the test did not confirm, nor was told, that the patient had another pregnancy test prior to the dosing. The pregnancy test conducted on March 26, 2013 was positive. It was confirmed that the embryo exposure was greater than 500 millirem threshold.
The patient was immediately notified of the positive pregnancy results and was consulted by a OB/GYN physician. The patient received an ultrasound which confirmed the pregnancy at 4 to 5 weeks.
The information is complete as of 12:45 pm CDT, April 23, 2013.
Alabama Incident 13-15