Excess Radiation to Newborns Hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit.

Newborns in intensive care units are generally subjected to a great number of X-rays procedures and to the risk of radiation-induced damage. This study evaluated a possible excess radiation by excess of radiographs, excess of dose per radiograph or under-collimation of the X-ray beam. The mean of X-rays per newborn was 12 (1-65) during a mean hospitalization of 29 d (1-226 d). The mean frequency was 0.8 X-ray exposures per newborn. About 13% of X-rays were performed without a well-defined clinical motivation. The mean entrance surface dose of 72 μGy was higher than in most of comparative studies. Under-collimation caused non-thoracic structures to appear frequently on chest radiographs. This study indicates a possible reduction in X-rays exposures by applying the justification principle for each X-ray procedure, recommends a multiprofessional work in the attempt to dose optimization, and shows need of correctly use of collimation system to avoid irradiation of non-thoracic structures.