A prospective observational study of radiation trends in the cardiac catheterization laboratory

Abstract

Background: Radiation exposure in cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab) is a health hazard not only to the interventional cardiologist, but also to the support staff as well as the patients. Data about radiation exposure in cath lab are lacking in India. We undertook this study to observe the radiation trends in a high-volume cath lab at a tertiary care center in India. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of radiation trends in the cardiac catheterization laboratory was carried out with regard to mean fluoroscopic time (FT, minutes), mean total cumulative dose (Gy), and mean dose area product (DAP) (Gycm2). Radiation exposures in various diagnostic and interventional procedures with respect to the above three parameters were studied. Radiation exposure in transradial and transfemoral routes was compared in the subgroup analysis. Results: A total of 2016 cases in which cath lab procedures were done during the period of 1 year were included in the study. Mean DAP for coronary angiography was 23.72 Gycm2 and for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was 196.61 Gycm2. If the complex PTCA procedures were excluded, the mean DAP was 33.19 Gycm2. Radiation trends observed in our study were comparable to the international standards. Conclusions: Radiation exposure in cath lab is a health hazard and must be given due importance. By maintaining radiation hygiene and associated precautions, the radiation exposure in cath lab can be kept within acceptable limits as shown in our study.

Keywords

• Cath lab
• coronary angiography
• dose area product
• percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
• radiation