[Radiologic practice and radioprotection in Italian hemodynamic laboratories]

Increasing numbers of diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac catheterization procedures are performed in Italy each year. Radiation exposure of the cardiac catheterization laboratory staff is a known hazard, and there is growing public and professional concern over the risks of low-energy medical ionizing radiation for the patients. The aim of this study was to outline the range of current radiological and radiation protection practice in large-volume cardiac catheterization laboratories in Italy. In August 1994 a questionnaire was submitted to the chief invasive cardiologist of the 32 cardiac catheterization laboratories nation-wide having performed at least 1000 procedures in 1993. All laboratories responded. There were variations in both the radiologic technique (cine framing speed, mean film lengths and fluoroscopy times) and the radiation protection practice (use of shields, leaded collars and glasses, and sites where dosimeters are worn). In 22 of 32 laboratories the cardiologists were not aware of radiation exposure data, and only 6 laboratories could quote the exposure provided by their X-ray system or estimates of the dose absorbed by patients during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. The results of this survey indicate that radiological practice, and techniques for measuring and reducing exposure of the personnel vary widely in cardiac catheterization laboratories in Italy. These data suggest also that reducing patients' radiation exposure is not, in general, considered to be a quality assurance priority by interventional cardiologists.