Hospital ‘in good shape’ despite isotopes situation

Bob Jenkins, manager of the hospital’s diagnostic imaging department, said Thursday that the hospital had just received word it would be receiving a new shipment of isotopes that will easily carry them through another week.

The Chalk River Laboratories nuclear reactor in Ontario has been shut down since a power failure at the facility on May 14, and a heavy water leak was discovered the following day.

The facility supplies hospitals around the world with the majority of medical isotopes needed for cancer tests, screening for heart disease and other procedures. Although other suppliers are increasing production, there is concern of an isotopes shortage. “Things, actually, have been pretty good,” said Jenkins on June 11. “We’ve had a limited supply every week and we’ve been re-arranging patients, re-arranging staff hours and working a little more efficiently. We do not have a backlog of patients and we haven’t had to cancel anyone or put anyone off indefinitely.”

Jenkins said the hospital expected a ‘generator’ this week that is almost as large as the one they routinely receive on a weekly basis. A generator is the term used for the device in which the radioactive isotopes arrive. “We’re going to be in great shape,” he said.

Chalk River supplies the Yarmouth hospital with molybdenum, which is the main radiopharmaceutical the hospital uses in nuclear medicine. When the Chalk River facility is in operation, the hospital receives a shipment every week that can generally serve its needs for two weeks.

The hospital had received a shipment May 18, just after the plant shutdown, so that had put it in a good position.

When the Chalk River originally shut down the speculation was the shutdown could last a month. Since then it’s been estimated the facility will be off line for three months.

In an earlier interview Jenkins said one good thing about this situation is MRIs and ultrasounds are now also used for a lot of things that in the past were carried out solely through nuclear medicine.