What is the effect of increased mAs on the radiation dose to a patient?

An increase in mAs, which stands for milliampere-seconds, directly correlates with the amount of radiation produced during an x-ray examination. Specifically, mAs is a product of the tube current (in milliamperes) and the exposure time (in seconds), and it determines the total quantity of x-ray photons generated for the imaging process.

When mAs is increased, more x-ray photons are produced, which contributes to a higher radiation dose received by the patient. This is because the greater number of photons passing through the patient's body results in a more significant absorption of radiation by tissues, leading to an increased dose. Therefore, in fluoroscopy, as well as in general radiography, higher mAs settings will increase the exposure and consequently the radiation dose to the patient.

In contrast, other options such as reducing patient dose or having no effect on patient dose would not align with the physics of x-ray production and radiation exposure. Additionally, while mAs does influence image quality—often leading to a clearer image with higher mAs settings—it is the increase in radiation dose that stands out as the significant effect of raising mAs. Understanding this principle is crucial for radiologic technologists, as they must balance the need for high-quality