THE RADIATION DOSE ACCUMULATED BY BLOOD DIVERTED THROUGH A SHUNT,
Abstract
Modern techniques have made it possible to divert a portion of the circulating blood through a shunt outside the body--for example in heart-lung machines, artificial kidneys, and coiled tubes where the blood may be exposed to radiation without danger to body tissues. There is some probability theory connected with such procedures, for the cells of the blood are thoroughly mixed in the body, and hence the number of times a blood cell passes through the shunt is a random variable. Several papers have been written to describe such systems by differential equations; this paper discusses the problem directly in terms of probability theory, finding the exact distribution of the number of times a blood cell has passed through the shunt and, in addition, a normal approximation which makes calculation of accumulated doses a matter of simple arithmetic. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0605573
Entities
People
- George Marsaglia
Organizations
- Boeing