A national programme for patient and staff dose monitoring in interventional cardiology

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiological Protection
• Interventional Cardiology

Background:

• A national program was launched in Spain to evaluate patient and staff radiation doses in interventional cardiology.
• This initiative is a collaboration with the haemodynamic section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for patients, adhering to International Commission on Radiological Protection guidelines.
• To implement optimization strategies for enhancing radiological safety for both patients and healthcare professionals.
• To collect and analyze data on X-ray systems, patient radiation doses, and staff exposure.

Main Methods:

• Six hospitals participated, submitting data to a central database.
• Quality control data for X-ray systems were acquired.
• Patient radiation doses and professional staff doses were collected from 1467 procedures and 43 professionals across 9 X-ray systems.

Main Results:

• Provisional DRLs were determined: 44 Gy cm(2) for coronary angiography and 78 Gy cm(2) for interventional procedures.
• Significant variability was observed in dose rates across X-ray systems, with variations up to a factor of 5.
• Analysis of staff doses indicated that 50% of interventional cardiologists do not use their personal dosemeters correctly.

Conclusions:

• The program provides initial DRLs crucial for optimizing radiation protection in interventional cardiology.
• Variability in equipment performance and incorrect dosemeter usage highlight areas for targeted improvement and training.
• Further implementation and monitoring are essential to ensure effective radiation safety standards for patients and staff.