A safety radiation marker in the cardiac catheterization lab

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Radiology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Coronary angiography (CRA) is essential for diagnosing cardiovascular disease.
• Both patients and operators face radiation exposure during CRA procedures.
• Quantifying this exposure is crucial for interventional cardiologist safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To calculate radiation exposure during CRA.
• To determine the radiation dose absorbed by interventional cardiologists.
• To establish a safety marker for radiation exposure in catheterization laboratories.

Main Methods:

• Examined radioscopy duration and radiation exposure in 794 CRA procedures.
• Measured total radiation exposure and absorbed doses for three interventional cardiologists.
• Calculated the ratio of radiation exposure to absorbed dose.

Main Results:

• Interventional cardiologists received a median total radiation exposure of 1,724,557.5 μGym².
• The average absorbed dose per operator per procedure was 0.06 mSv.
• A ratio of 113:1 (μGym²/mSv) was found between radiation exposure and absorbed dose.

Conclusions:

• A novel safety marker (113:1 ratio) is proposed for interventional cardiologists.
• This marker aids in estimating absorbed radiation doses.
• It supports defining safe procedure numbers and effective radiation protection strategies.