Root Cause Analysis in Nuclear Medicine for Sentinel Events.

A sentinel event is any unexpected event that results in death or serious physical or psychological injury to a patient unrelated to a patient's illness. Establishing and determining cause-and-effect relationships is key to preventing future sentinel/near-miss events. However, it can be challenging to establish a cause-and-effect relationship when a process involves multiple steps or people.

Root Cause Analysis of NaI Contamination.

Establishing a cause-and-effect relationship for an adverse event is one of the key steps in preventing them and involves multiple people, resources, and steps, thus requiring a root cause analysis. Here, we describe a root cause analysis performed in the nuclear medicine department for an event involving NaI contamination. Oral administration of NaI in a capsule minimizes the risk of contamination and spills.

Bone Scanning Findings in a Patient with Heat Stroke-Induced Rhabdomyolysis.

We present a case that caused a diagnostic dilemma on a bone scan. We also review the broad spectrum of nonmalignant findings that can impact the interpretation of a bone scan and the value of correlative imaging using SPECT/CT for exact localization and characterization of lesions. The imaging features of important benign pathologies-that is, metastatic mimics-are elaborated so that the reader can avoid misinterpretations when reporting them.