Acceptance testing and QA of interventional cardiology systems

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiology
• Cardiology

Background:

• Interventional cardiology (IC) involves complex procedures with elevated risks.
• The EU Medical Exposures Directive mandates acceptance testing and quality assurance (QA) for radiological equipment.
• Interventional radiology is specifically highlighted as an area of concern within the directive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey the acceptance testing and performance of interventional cardiology (IC) systems in Irish hospitals.
• To identify variations in patient doses and image quality across different manufacturers.
• To assess the compliance of IC equipment with acceptance testing standards.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted on 17 interventional cardiology (IC) systems, including flat panel detector systems.
• Acceptance tests were performed on each system.
• Patient doses and image quality were measured and compared across systems and manufacturers.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in patient doses were observed between manufacturers for equivalent image quality.
• All surveyed systems failed at least one acceptance test.
• 60% of systems exhibited substantial problems during acceptance testing.

Conclusions:

• Acceptance testing and quality assurance (QA) are vital for interventional cardiology (IC) equipment.
• The findings underscore the need for stringent QA protocols to ensure patient safety and equipment reliability.
• Baseline data were established for the development of future QA guidelines in IC.