Controlling Radiation Exposure in Interventional Cardiology

Radiation dose reduction during neurointerventional procedures by modification of default settings on biplane angiography equipment

“…For diagnostic catheterization, median total X-ray dose was 625 vs 798 mGy (p<0.001) and for percutaneous coronary intervention 1675 vs 2463 mGy (p<0.001). Similar to our study and to the study by Pyne et al ,14 fluoroscopy times were not influenced by the change in pulsed frame rate 20…”

The Inverse Correlation Between the Duration of Lifetime Occupational Radiation Exposure and the Prevalence of Atrial Arrhythmia

“…Although they are not exposed to the direct X-ray beam, invasive cardiologists receive radiation from the scatter, which can vary extremely, ranging from 0.04 to 38 μSv per procedure ( 25 ). Over the course of an interventional cardiologist's career, he or she is exposed to 50–200 mSv of ionizing radiation, which is equivalent to 2,500–10,000 chest X-rays ( 9 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 26 ). Newer techniques focus on minimizing, or even eliminating radiation use but these protocols are not widespread ( 27 , 28 ).…”

“…Physicians at academic institutions and fellows-in-training endure more radiation than their experienced, non-teaching counterparts, which should be considered when interpreting this data. Further study is merited to account for these intrinsic shortcomings ( 14 ).…”

“…Although cardiologists are not exposed to high acute doses of radiation, their longitudinal exposure to low doses is cause for concern, particularly as the arrhythmogenic effects of this exposure are still unclear. Studies have surveyed invasive cardiologists to assess a variety of occupational hazards, including orthopedic and ophthalmologic complications, but the impact of occupational radiation exposure on the prevalence of AA is still unexplored in this cohort ( 11 , 14 , 15 ).…”

Fluoroscopy pulse rate reduction during diagnostic and therapeutic imaging in the cardiac catheterization laboratory: An evaluation of radiation dose, procedure complications and outcomes

“…The lowest achievable pulse rate while still preserving acceptable imaging quality has not been identified. To date, fluoroscopy pulse rates in the United States typically vary between 15 and 30 pulses/sec (p/s) . The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which patient dose was reduced when fluoroscopy pulse rates were reduced from 10 to 7.5 p/s in patients undergoing diagnostic angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).…”