Patient exposure from interventional cardiology procedures in Slovenia

Abstract

A country-wide study aimed to determine patient exposure from interventional cardiology procedures in Slovenia was carried out. All five cardiology rooms in four public hospitals have been included in the study. Results of dosimetric measurements of the involved X-ray units are presented. Dosimetric data were collected for 860 procedures: 416 coronary angiography (CA) procedures and 444 angioplasty procedures. Significant differences between centers have been observed, with the third quartile values for air kerma-area product (KAP) between 21 Gy cm2 and 32 Gy cm2 for CA and between 47 Gy cm2 and 118 Gy cm2 for CA+PTCA procedures. Gathered data will increase awareness about patient doses and will be used to develop corrective actions in centers where procedures are not optimized. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.