Comparison of KAP values for CAG examinations: the influence of parameter settings

This study shows that changing settings like detector dose, added copper filtration, kV-mA-ms settings and frame rate can substantially reduce the average air kerma-area product value per examination in coronary angiography. The default factory settings of cardiac X-ray systems are often not optimised and therefore the dose settings are mostly too high. The type of modifications that are allowed depends on the X-ray system. With the GE Innovation2000, the freedom of making adjustments is restricted. With the Siemens Coroscop and the Philips Allura Xper FD10, several adjustments can be made. It is possible to lower the dose to patient and staff by not unreservedly accept the default factory settings. However, the point of discussion is 'how low should you go', because the needed clinical image quality is difficult to define objectively using phantom measurements.