Dose to cardiologists in haemodynamic and electrophysiology cardiac interventional procedures

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Physics
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Interventional cardiac procedures utilize fluoroscopy, leading to potential significant radiation exposure for staff.
• Assessing and managing occupational radiation exposure is crucial for protecting healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effective radiation dose received by operators during interventional cardiac procedures.
• To compare these doses with existing literature and regulatory limits.

Main Methods:

• Radiation exposure was assessed in 173 procedures.
• Key metrics recorded included fluoroscopy time, image acquisition count, and dose-area product.
• Occupational doses were measured using thermoluminescence dosemeters.

Main Results:

• Effective doses to operators were generally lower than those reported in other centers.
• Higher effective doses were observed during defibrillator implantation and percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography.
• Extrapolated yearly occupational doses for cardiologists were below the regulatory limit and within the lower range of published data.

Conclusions:

• The center's strict radiation protection policy likely contributes to lower operator radiation exposure.
• Occupational doses in this setting are managed effectively, remaining below established safety thresholds.