Objective: Monthly audits for the multicenter Canadian Oxygen Trial have shown that our neonatal team has consistently maintained study participants within the intended pulse oximetry alarm limits between 68 and 79% of the time during the first 3 days of life while infants were receiving supplemental oxygen. This good performance prompted us to explore our nurses' perceptions of what makes them compliant with alarm limits for pulse oximetry in preterm infants.Study Design: The local neonatal research nurse interviewed all 41 staff nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University Children's Hospital in Tuebingen, Germany, for this qualitative study.Result: Nurses identified education (22/41), prompt response to alarms (22/41), a favorable patient-to-staff ratio (18/41), root cause analysis at the bedside (15/41), and the high priority given to control of oxygen therapy in the department (14/41) as the five most important determinants of their good compliance.Conclusion: These findings may be useful for other neonatal teams who struggle to improve their compliance with alarm limits for pulse oximetry.

The primary purpose of a medical cyclotron is to improve the diagnostic value of Nuclear Medicine through the production of clinical quantities of desirable radionuclides. A medical cyclotron in the 15 MeV to 20 MeV energy range can produce 10 to 100 millicurie quantities of intermediate and short-lived radionuclides. A medical cyclotron in the 25 MeV to 30 MeV energy range can produce curie to multicurie quantities of intermediate and short-lived radionuclides.The considerations for selecting a medical cyclotron used for radionuclide production are radionuclidic purity and production capabilities. The influence of nuclear reactions, particle energy and isotopic enrichment of target material on these considerations is discussed.

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Traditionally, 90 Y obtained from a 90 Sr/ 90 Y generator contains a small concentration of 90 Sr (range: IjaCi 90 Sr/100mCi to 1 Ci 90 Y) and due to the 28,78 y half-life of 90 Sr, special waste handling and storage is required. In this study, the medical isotope 90 Y has been produced by an alternate method using the 90 Zr(n,p) 90 Y reaction. Neutrons for the activation process were produced using nat Rh(p,xn) reaction with a 27 MeV proton beam from a cyclotron. Since 90 Y +U-90-is a pure beta emitter, the gamma rays from the Zr(n,2n) Zr reaction were used to quantify the incident neutron flux on the 90 Zr sample. Experimental results of the neutron production and 90 Y activity are presented.

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