A Fingertip Shield for Safe and Effective Disinfection of a Radiopharmaceutical Vial

The "as low as reasonably achievable" (ALARA) concept commits the nuclear medicine technologist to maintain body and extremity exposures at minimum levels. It is common practice in all nuclear medicine laboratories to prepare labeled radiopharmaceutical vial tops with an alcohol wipe prior to entry into the vial (Fig. 1). It is necessary to wipe the vial to reduce the amount of bacteria on the vial top. However, the effectiveness of the wiping procedure is generally compromised by the shortened contact times that result from the technologist's knowledge of possible high exposure levels at the vial surface. Recognizing this problem, the need for a simple, effective, and protective shielding device for vial wiping becomes evident.