Cardinal Health has designed and made available to their customers the Nuclear Medicine Patient Card. During this time of heightened security interest, this card helps the traveling nuclear medicine patient provide an explanation to security or law enforcement personnel in case safety-monitoring equipment is triggered. This card includes the patient name, facility name, procedure date, radionuclide used, its half-life, its activity and emissions, its expiration date and a contact name and number to verify the procedure. These cards were developed to assist nuclear medicine practitioners meet this challenging patient need.

On December 9, 2003 the NRC issued "NRC Information Notice 2003-22: Heightened Awareness for Patients Containing Detectable Amounts of Radiation from Medical Administration" addressing this situation. This information notice recommended consulting with patients in advance of release from the hospital and to provide written documentation for law enforcement regarding the safety of the patient.

On November 30, 2004 at the meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, Dr. Lionel Zuckier, M.D., a professor of radiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, presented a poster that identified that patients who have undergone certain nuclear medicine procedures are at risk of triggering sensitive radiation detectors. Dr. Zuckier's findings indicate that trace quantities of radionuclides could set off radiation detectors for a period of time after the actual exam or therapy. These include:

18F FDG		. . .		1 day
99mTc labeled compounds		. . .		up to 3 days
123I NaI		. . .		up to 3 days
111In labeled compounds		. . .		14 to 17 days
201TI Thallous Chloride		. . .		up to 30 days
67Ga Citrate		. . .		up to 30 days
131I NaI or Bexxar		. . .		up to 95 days

The Nuclear Medicine Patient Card is another innovative service from Cardinal Health to assist the nuclear medicine community.