A technologist is tasked with imaging a patient's forearm. To minimize patient exposure, how should the mAs be adjusted compared to chest imaging?

When imaging a patient's forearm, mAs should be decreased compared to chest imaging due to the smaller size of the anatomical part being imaged. The forearm contains less tissue and is generally less dense than the chest region, which includes thicker structures like the lungs and rib cage.

Reducing the mAs helps to lower the overall radiation dose delivered to the patient while still achieving adequate image quality. This adjustment is crucial because using higher mAs settings than necessary can lead to unnecessary exposure without significantly improving the diagnostic quality of the image. By aligning the exposure settings with the size and density of the specific body part being imaged, technologists can safeguard patient health while still obtaining the required diagnostic information.