Nuclear Medicine: Scientific and Technical Concepts (Essay Sample)

Nuclear Medicine: Scientific and Technical Concepts Student’s NameInstitutional Affiliation Course Code and Name Instructor’s NameDue Date Nuclear Medicine: Scientific and Technical Concepts Nuclear medicine is commonplace in today’s nursing practice, ensuring improved radiology outcomes and informed procedural decisions. It has enhanced illness detection, enabling radiologists and other interprofessional team members to address risks and recommend interventions leading to the best patient care outcomes. Effective application of nuclear medicine necessitates in-depth comprehension of its scientific and technical concepts related to radiation, benefits, limitations, and applications. Nuclear medicine is a radiation-based specialty that requires care providers to prepare the patient adequately for the high-risk process. Healthcare practitioners typically exploit radioactive tracers (short-lived isotopes) in nuclear medicine procedures to emit gamma rays from within a patient’s body (World Nuclear Association, 2024). The tracers are linked to chemical compounds that allow care providers to observe specific biological processes, focusing primarily on how organs function and potential damage. Patients’ preparation steps vary with the body area being examined. It includes psychological and physical instructions to ensure the patient is ready and safe. The radiologist usually prompts a patient to lie on a table (CDC, 2024.). The patient waits for some time for the tracer to move to the tissue being diagnosed. Nuclear medicine has multiple advantages and limitations that guide medical practitioners in its selection. Generally, it is more advanced than other imaging procedures since it provides specifics on how cells and organs function besides showing their structures (Weber et al., 2020). It is also used in targeted treatments for killing carcinogenic cells or reducing pain. Despite these benefits, radiation doses in nuclear medicine procedures are more than typical imaging techniques like X-rays, increasing the risk of cancer in later years (Kovalchuk et al., 2023). Procedures are also associated with side effects, including skin reddening and hair loss. These shortcomings demonstrate that nuclear medicine procedures are costly and have a huge potential to expose patients to health risks. Cancers dominate the ailments that are typically diagnosed and treated via nuclear medicine procedures. In oncology, nuclear medicine scans help healthcare providers detect tumors, gauge cancer’s stage, and determine whether the recommended treatment is effective (American Cancer Society, 2024). Neurological and heart diseases are also diagnosed and treated using nuclear medicine. Weber et al. (2020) posits that nuclear medicine informs cardiologists on revascularization interventions after assessing myocardial function and the possibility of ischemic heart disease. However, due to overreliance on generalizable drug therapies in cardiology care, its contribution to cardiovascular interventions is less advanced than in cancer and neurological disorders treatment. Nuclear medicine applications related to Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans underscore its increased value in illness diagnosis and treatment. A leading PET scans’ application is to provide three-dimensional images of an organ, showing how they work and any abnormality (CDC, 2024). The other application is in diagnosing heart disease and some brain disorders. Thirdly, PET scans are the basis of effective cancer treatment since they provide detailed information on tumors and disease progression after chemotherapy and other modalities. Nuclear medicine therapy using radiopharmaceuticals is primarily about targeted radiation to tumor cells. It is a common procedure for curi...