National Diagnostic Reference Levels for Standard Descending Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair and Optimisation Strategies.

OBJECTIVE: The International Commission on Radiological Protection has highlighted the large number of medical specialties that use fluoroscopy outside diagnostic imaging departments without radiation protection programmes for patients and staff. Vascular surgery is one of these specialties. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is a complicated procedure requiring radiation protection guidance and optimisation. The recent EU Basic Safety Standards Directive requires the use and periodic updating of diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for interventional procedures. The aim of this study was to determine doses for patients undergoing TEVAR with mobile Xray systems and hybrid rooms (fixed Xray systems) to obtain national DRLs and to suggest optimisation actions. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross sectional study. The Spanish Chapter of Endovascular Surgery conducted a national survey in 11 autonomous communities representing around 77.6% of the Spanish population (47.33 million inhabitants). A total of 266 TEVAR procedures from 17 Spanish centres were analysed, of which 53.0% were performed in hybrid operating rooms. National DRLs were obtained and defined as the third quartile of the median values from the different participating centres. RESULTS: The proposed national DRLs are: for kerma area product (KAP), 113.81 Gy·cm2 for mobile Xray systems and 282.59 Gy·cm2 for hybrid rooms; and for cumulative air kerma (CAK) at the patient entry reference point, 228.38 mGy for mobile systems and 910.64 mGy for hybrid rooms. CONCLUSION: Based on the requirement to know radiation doses for standard endovascular procedures, this study of TEVARs demonstrated that there is an increased factor of 2.48 in DRLs for KAP when the procedure is performed in a hybrid room compared with mobile C-arm systems, and an increased factor of 3.98 in DRLs for CAK when the procedure is performed with hybrid equipment. These results will help to optimise strategies to reduce radiation doses during TEVAR procedures.

Updated Estimates of Radiation Risk for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease: Implications for Cardiology Practice.

This review aims to furnish an updated assessment of the societal healthcare load, including cancer and cardiovascular disease resulting from diagnostic radiologic operations. The previously projected additional cancer risk of 0.9% in a United States 2004 study referred to radiological conditions in 1996 with an X-ray exposure of 0.50 millisievert (mSv) per capita annually. Radiological exposure (radiology + nuclear medicine) has escalated to 2.29 mSv (2016) per capita per year. Low-dose exposures were previously assumed to have a lower biological impact, since they allow the DNA repair system to mitigate molecular damage. However, epidemiological data matured and disproved this assumption, as shown by updated cancer risk assessments derived from the World Health Organization 2013 and the German Institute of Radioprotection 2014 data. The risk of cardiovascular disease aligns within the same order of magnitude as cancer risk and compounds it, as shown by a comprehensive meta-analysis of 93 studies. The collective societal burden arising from the augmented risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease attributable to diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine is higher than previously thought.

Alerts to improve occupational protection during Interventional Radiology. More attention is needed for simple but frequent procedures.

Occupational protection could be improved in interventional radiology. The monthly personal dosimetry cannot alert on some occupational doses with anomalous values for certain procedures. Active electronic personal dosimeters linked wireless to a dose management system (DMS), allow for the measurement of occupational doses per procedure, integrating this information with patient dose indicators and with technical and geometrical conditions of the procedures. We analysed around 3100 occupational dose values for individual procedures collected during the last two years, in an interventional radiology laboratory of a University Hospital and two groups, with patient doses higher than 100 Gy.cm2, and lower than 30 Gy.cm2. An unshielded reference dosimeter located at the C-arm registers the ambient dose equivalent (ADE) per procedure to be compared with the personal dose equivalent (PDE) over the apron. The ratio between both values PDE/ADE is a good indication of occupational protection. Alerts for occupational protection optimisation are suggested. For the full sample, 8.4 % of occupational doses measured over the protective apron of the interventionists were higher than 100 µSv and 3.8 % higher than 200 µSv per procedure. Occupational protection for complex procedures (>100 Gy.cm2) had median values of 46 µSv for PDE and 3.3 % for PDE/ADE. However, for simple procedures, (<30 Gy.cm2) the median values were 10 µSv and 28.4 %. This last percentage is 9 times higher than the value for complex procedures. This lack of protection should be corrected and the need to reduce some occupational doses reinforced in radiation protection training programmes for interventionists.

Protección radiológica en endoscopia

La endoscopía digestiva ha evolucionado de una técnica puramente diagnóstica a un procedimiento terapéutico. Esto es posible en muchos casos gracias al uso de fluoroscopía, lo cual conlleva la exposición a radiaciones ionizantes tanto de los pacientes como del personal actuante. La colangiopancreatografía retrógrada endoscópica (CPRE), que requiere necesariamente de fluoroscopia, es catalogada por la Food and Drug Administration como un examen con potencial riesgo de desencadenar lesiones inducidas por radiación. El presente artículo de revisión repasa los efectos biológicos de las radiaciones, los tipos de equipos radiológicos utilizados en CPRE, así como las magnitudes y unidades dosimétricas, para finalmente abordar los elementos de radio protección en la sala de endoscopia. El objetivo es brindar al lector la informacion para poder realizar estos procedimientos con la mayor seguridad radiológica tanto para los pacientes como para el personal ocupacionalmente expuesto.

Endoscopy has evolved from a purely diagnostic technique to a therapeutic procedure. This is possible in many cases thanks to the use of fluoroscopy, which entails exposure to ionizing radiation for both patients and the personnel involved. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which necessarily requires fluoroscopy, is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as an examination with a potential risk of triggering radiation induced injuries. This article reviews the biological effects of radiation, the types of radiological equipment used in ERCP, as well as the magnitudes and dosimetric units, to finally address the radio protection elements in the endoscopy room. The objective is to provide the reader with the information to be able to perform these procedures with the greatest radiological safety for both patients and occupationally exposed personnel.

Occupational and patient doses for interventional radiology integrated into a dose management system.

OBJECTIVES: The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends managing patient and occupational doses as an integrated approach, for the optimisation of interventional procedures. The conventional passive personal dosimeters only allow one to know the accumulated occupational doses during a certain period of time. This information is not enough to identify if there is a lack of occupational radiation protection during some procedures. This paper describes the use of a dose management system (DMS) allowing patient and occupational doses for individual procedures to be audited. METHODS: The DMS manages patient and occupational doses measured by electronic personal dosimeters. One dosemeter located at the C-arm is used as a reference for scatter radiation. Data have been collected from five interventional rooms. Dosimetry data can be managed for the whole procedure and the different radiation events. Optimisation is done through auditing different sets of parameters for individual procedures: patient dose indicators, occupational dose values, the ratio between occupational doses, and the doses measured by the reference dosemeter at the C-arm, and the ratio between occupational and patient dose values. RESULTS: The managed data correspond to the year 2021, with around 4500 procedures, and 8000 records on occupational exposures. Patient and staff dose data (for 11 cardiologists, 7 radiologists and 8 nurses) were available for 3043 procedures. The DMS allows alerts for patient dose indicators and occupational exposures to be set. CONCLUSIONS: The main advantage of this integrated approach is the capacity to improve radiation safety for patients and workers together, auditing alerts for individual procedures. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The management of patient and occupational doses together (measured with electronic personal dosimeters) for individual interventional procedures, using dose management systems, allows alerting optimisation on high-dose values for patients and staff.

[Radiation protection in endoscopy]. / Protección radiológica en endoscopia.

Endoscopy has evolved from a purely diagnostic technique to a therapeutic procedure. This is possible in many cases thanks to the use of fluoroscopy, which entails exposure to ionizing radiation for both patients and the personnel involved. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which necessarily requires fluoroscopy, is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as an examination with a potential risk of triggering radiation induced injuries. This article reviews the biological effects of radiation, the types of radiological equipment used in ERCP, as well as the magnitudes and dosimetric units, to finally address the radio protection elements in the endoscopy room. The objective is to provide the reader with the information to be able to perform these procedures with the greatest radiological safety for both patients and occupationally exposed personnel.

ASSESSMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE IN THE MAIN PAEDIATRIC INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY PROCEDURES.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the personal dose equivalent Hp(10) in the most frequent (non-cardiac) paediatric interventional radiology (PIR) procedures: central venous catheters (CVC), hepatic/biliary and sclerotherapy interventions. i2 active solid-state dosemeters placed over the lead apron were used to monitor the exposure of three interventional radiologists over 18 months. A database was created to register all procedures performed by each radiologist (including the type of procedure and the kerma-area product, PKA). The mean Hp(10) per procedure for CVC, sclerotherapy and hepatic/biliary interventions was respectively 0.01 ± 0.01 mSv, 0.18 ± 0.13 mSv and 0.12 ± 0.06 mSv (k = 2). A similar value of Hp(10)/PKA was found despite the type of procedure or the patient weight (~10 µSv/Gy·cm2). There was high variability among individual interventions, probably due to the variable level of complexity, which led to uncertainties in the measurements' mean higher than those associated with the dosemeter's angular and energy dependence. i2 therefore proved suitable for monitoring Hp(10) in PIR procedures.

Avances y desafíos de la protección radiológica en cardiología intervencionista pediátrica para Chile entre los años 2013-2021 / Updating radiological protection for interventional procedures in pediatric cardiology in Chile

RESUMEN: En el año 2013, se publicó un artículo acerca de lo realizado en Chile en temas de protección radiológica en cardiología intervencionista (CI) pediátrica. A continuación se muestra el trabajo de continuidad realizado en los últimos 8 años, destacando los principales resultados alcanzados y proponiendo mejoras en la seguridad y protección radiológica en esta práctica clínica. Desde el año 2013 se han seguido evaluando en términos de dosis de radiación y calidad de imagen, los sistemas de rayos X utilizados en Chile para procedimientos de CI pediátricos y, en particular, los equipos de los servicios de los Hospitales Luis Calvo Mackenna y Roberto del Rio. Se han medido las tasas de dosis de radiación dispersa a la posición habitual de los ojos y tobillos de los cardiólogos que operan los equipos de rayos X. También contamos con un conjunto de "Niveles de Referencia para Diagnóstico" clasificados por rangos de edad y peso, junto con la estimación de valores de dosis por órgano y dosis efectiva para los pacientes. Podemos afirmar que, actualmente, contamos con una metodología consolidada para caracterizar, en términos de dosis y calidad de imagen, los sistemas de rayos X. Sin embargo, sigue pendiente actualizar la normativa nacional que regula el uso seguro de las radiaciones ionizantes en medicina, como también aspectos de formación en protección radiológica para el personal médico implicado.

ABSRSCT: An article on the status of radiological protection during procedures of interventional cardiology in pediatric patients in Chile was published in 2013. The present article relates the continuing efforts to improve radiological protection highlighting their results and proposing additional measures to improve radiological protection during the procedure. Since 2013 we have continued the evaluation of radiation doses, image quality, and X Ray systems used in Chile. We have measured diffused radiation dose at operator´s eye and ankle levels to elaborate a "Reference guide" according to patient´s age and weight. However, we still lack a national regulatory norm for the X Ray systems to be used and for the appropriate training of those involved in procedures of interventional cardiology in pediatric patients.

Benefits and limitations for the use of radiation dose management systems in medical imaging. Practical experience in a university hospital.

OBJECTIVES: Radiation dose management systems (DMS) are currently used to help improve radiation protection in medical imaging and interventions. This study presents our experience using a homemade DMS called DOLQA (Dose On-Line for Quality Assurance). METHODS: Our DMS is connected to 14 X-ray systems in a university hospital linked to the central data repository of a large network of 16 public hospitals in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, with 6.7 million inhabitants. The system allows us to manage individual patient dose data and groups of procedures with the same clinical indications, and compare them with diagnostic reference levels (DRLs). The system can also help to prioritise optimisation actions. RESULTS: This study includes results of imaging examinations from 2020, with 37,601 procedures and 286,471 radiation events included in the radiation dose structured reports (RDSR), for computed tomography (CT), interventional procedures, positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) and mammography. CONCLUSIONS: The benefits of the system include: automatic registration and management of patient doses, creation of dose reports for patients, information on recurrent examinations, high dose alerts, and help to define optimisation actions.The system requires the support of medical physicists and implication of radiologists and radiographers. DMSs must undergo periodic quality controls and audit reports must be drawn up and submitted to the hospital's quality committee.The drawbacks of DMSs include the need for continuous external support (medical physics experts, radiologists, radiographers, technical services of imaging equipment and hospital informatics services) and the need to include data on clinical indication for the imaging procedures. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: DMS perform automatic management of radiation doses, produces patient dose reports, and registers high dose alerts to suggest optimisation actions. Benefits and limitations are derived from the practical experience in a large university hospital.

Strengthening radiation protection education and training of health professionals: conclusions from an IAEA meeting.

In March 2021 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organised an online Technical Meeting on Developing Effective Methods for Radiation Protection Education and Training of Health Professionals with attendance of 230 participants representing 66 Member States and 24 international organizations, professional bodies and safety alliances. By means of a pre-meeting survey, presentations by experts, topical panel discussions and post-meeting feedback to the meeting summary, the meeting identified strengths, common weaknesses and possible solutions and actions for improving radiation protection education and training of health professionals. Available guidelines and resources for radiation protection training were also reviewed. The meeting discussion resulted in a strong consensus for the need of: (a) international guidance on education and training in radiation protection and safety for health professionals, (b) an international description of minimum standards of initial and ongoing competence and qualification in radiation protection for relevant professional groups, considering the available recommendations at international and regional levels. The proposed actions include provisions for train-the-trainer credentialing and facility training accreditation, balance betwee the online and face-to-face training, improved on-the job training, as well as improved inclusion in training programmes of aspects related to application of new technologies, ethical aspects, development of communication skills, and use of software tools for improving justification and optimisation. The need for making the ongoing training practical, applicable, and useful to the trainee was highlighted. The international consultation initiated by the IAEA was appreciated as a good approach to understand and promote coordination and collaboration at all levels, for best results in education and training in radiation protection of health professionals. Implementing such a holistic approach to education and training in radiation protection would contribute towards qualification and competence of health professionals needed to ensure application of high standards for quality and safety in medical uses of ionizing radiation.

Optimización de la protección en radiología y cardiología intervencionista pediatrica en América Latina y el Caribe (OPRIPALC) / Optimization of protection in pediatric interventional cardiology and radiology in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPRIPALC)

El objetivo del presente artículo ha sido describir el programa "Optimización de la Protección en Radiología Intervencionista Pediátrica en América Latina y el Caribe" (OPRIPALC) que nace el año 2018 como respuesta conjunta de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud y la Organización Mundial de la Salud, en cooperación con el Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica, para colaborar con sus Estados miembros en asegurar que las exposiciones a la radiación de los pacientes pediátricos sean las mínimas necesarias durante los procedimientos intervencionistas. Actualmente, hay 18 centros de los siguientes 10 países que participan: Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, México, Perú y Uruguay. Para el desarrollo del programa se plantean una serie de objetivos, productos, actividades y resultados esperados. La puesta en marcha de la WEB de OPRIPALC ha significado un instrumento muy válido para seguir la información actualizada del programa. Un programa actualizado de formación en radioprotección para los profesionales implicados en el programa, se está realizando por medio de "webinars". Se deberá seguir actuando en la aplicación del programa de control de calidad básico para los equipos de rayos X participantes y validar los valores de los Niveles de Referencia para Diagnóstico (NRDs). Se propone formar un equipo de trabajo entre los Físicos Médicos y Tecnólogos Médicos participantes de OPRIPALC para implicarse en las pruebas de control básicas que todos los centros debieran realizar. Se han presentado algunos resultados iniciales de OPRIPALC en eventos científicos internacionales. Se está avanzando en proponer unos primeros valores sobre NRDs en procedimientos de intervencionismo cardiológico pediátrico por bandas de edad y peso. OPRIPALC es una de las pocas iniciativas de carácter regional para obtener valores de NRDs en procedimientos intervencionistas pediátricos. Se espera que tanto los valores de referencia como la metodología empleada en OPRIPALC, puedan ser utilizados en otras regiones del mundo.

The objective of this article has been to describe the program "Optimization of Protection in Pediatric Interventional Radiology in Latin America and the Caribbean" (OPRIPALC) that was born in 2018 as a joint response of the Pan American Health Organization and the World Organization of the Health, in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, to collaborate with its member states in ensuring that radiation exposures of pediatric patients are the minimum necessary during interventional procedures. Currently, there are 18 centers from the following 10 countries participating: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. For the development of the program, a series of objectives, products, activities and expected results are proposed. The launch of the OPRIPALC WEBSITE has been a very valid instrument for following up-to-date information on the program. An updated training program in radiation protection for the professionals involved in the program is being carried out through webinars. It should continue acting in the application of the basic quality control program for the participating X-ray equipment and validate the values of the Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs). It is proposed to form a work team among the OPRIPALC participating medical physicists to get involved in the basic control tests that all centers should carry out. Some initial results of OPRIPALC have been presented at international scientific events. Progress is being made in proposing first values on DRLs in pediatric cardiac intervention procedures by age and weight bands. OPRIPALC is one of the few regional initiatives to obtain DRLs values in pediatric interventional procedures. It is expected that both the reference values and the methodology used in OPRIPALC can be used in other regions of the world.

Understanding the Basis of Radiation Protection for Endovascular Procedures: Occupational and Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Some concepts of radiation protection are not well understood and must be refreshed periodically. The basic knowledge that a vascular surgeon must have about radiation protection for patients and staff is summarised. REPORT: Diagnostic reference levels are a form of investigation into the medical exposure of patients during diagnostic and endovascular procedures that help to optimise them. Radiological quantities such as dose area product, also known as kerma area product and cumulative dose, are the most relevant to the patient. Equivalent dose, in mSv, determines the dose limits for staff. The effective dose (related to absorbed dose), also in mSv, represents the global risk of cancer and hereditary effects. For patient protection, the most important factors are fluoroscopy time, collimation, magnification, keeping the patient as near as possible to the image detector and as far as possible away from the tube, and trying to work in fluoroscope mode. Regarding occupational protection, distance, shielding, and dosimetry are the most important. DISCUSSION: With the increased use of endovascular procedures, radiation protection is an issue that has grown in importance. Radiation protection is based on three principles: justification; optimisation; and dose limits. Every action focused on reducing a patient's radiation dose will also reduce the dose to staff. Basic principles such as "the further away the better", "always use a lead apron, thyroid protector, and lead glasses", and "do not forget to wear personal dosimeters" must be remembered at all times.

Get Protected! Recommendations for Staff in IR.

PURPOSE: Evaluation and registration of patient and staff doses are mandatory under the current European legislation, and the occupational dose limits recommended by the ICRP have been adopted by most of the countries in the world. METHODS: Relevant documents and guidelines published by international organisations and interventional radiology societies are referred. Any potential reduction of patient and staff doses should be compatible with the clinical outcomes of the procedures. RESULTS: The review summarises the most common protective measures and the needed quality control for them, the criteria to select the appropriate protection devices, and how to avoid unnecessary occupational radiation exposures. Moreover, the current and future advancements in personnel radiation protection using medical simulation with virtual and augmented reality, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) are commented. A section on the personnel radiation protection in the era of COVID-19 is introduced, showing the expanding role of the interventional radiology during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The review is completed with a summary of the main factors to be considered in the selection of the appropriate radiation protection tools and practical advices to improve the protection of the staff.

Cumulative effective dose from recurrent CT examinations in Europe: proposal for clinical guidance based on an ESR EuroSafe Imaging survey.

In recent years, the issue of cumulative effective dose received from recurrent computed tomography examinations has become a subject of increasing concern internationally. Evidence, predominantly from the USA, has shown that a significant number of patients receive a cumulative effective dose of 100 mSv or greater. To obtain a European perspective, EuroSafe Imaging carried out a survey to collect European data on cumulative radiation exposure of patients from recurrent computed tomography examinations. The survey found that a relatively low percentage of patients (0.5%) received a cumulative effective dose equal to or higher than 100 mSv from computed tomography, most of them having an oncological disease. However, there is considerable variation between institutions as these values ranged from 0 to 2.72%, highlighting that local practice or, depending on the institution and its medical focus, local patient conditions are likely to be a significant factor in the levels of cumulative effective dose received, rather than this simply being a global phenomenon. This paper also provides some practical actions to support the management of cumulative effective dose and to refine or improve practice where recurrent examinations are required. These actions are focused around increasing awareness of referring physicians through encouraging local dialogue, actions focused on optimisation where a team approach is critical, better use of modern equipment and the use of Dose Management and Clinical Decision Support Systems together with focused clinical audits. The proper use of cumulative effective dose should be part of training programmes for referrers and practitioners, including what information to give to patients. Radiation is used to the benefit of patients in diagnostic procedures such as CT examinations, and in therapeutic procedures like the external radiation treatment for cancer. However, radiation is also known to increase the risk of cancer. To oversee this risk, the cumulative effective dose (CED) received by a patient from imaging procedures over his or her life is important. In this paper, the authors, on behalf of EuroSafe Imaging, report on a survey carried out in Europe that aims to estimate the proportion of patients that undergo CT examinations and are exposed to a CED of more than 100 mSv. At the same time, the survey enquires about and underlines radiologists' measures and radiology departments' strategies to limit such exposure. Over the period of 2015-2018, respondents reported that 0.5% (0-2.72%) of patients were exposed to a CED of ≥ 100 mSv from imaging procedures. The background radiation dose in Europe depends on the location, but it is around 2.5 mSv per year. It is obvious that patients with cancer, chronic diseases and trauma run the highest risk of having a high CED. However, even if the number of patients exposed to ≥ 100 mSv is relatively low, it is important to lower this number even further. Measures could consist in using procedures that do not necessitate radiation, using very low dose procedures, being very critical in requiring imaging procedures and increasing awareness about the issue. KEY POINTS: • A relatively low percentage of patients (0.5%) received a cumulative effective dose from CT computed tomography equal to or greater than 100 mSv, in Europe, most of them having an oncological disease. • There is a wide range in the number of patients who receive cumulative effective dose equal to or greater than 100 mSv (0-2.72%) and optimisation should be improved. • Increasing the awareness of referring physicians through encouraging local dialogue, concrete actions focused on optimisation and development of dose management systems is suggested.

ESR EuroSafe Imaging and its role in promoting radiation protection - 6 years of success.

This article introduces the European Society of Radiology's EuroSafe Imaging initiative in the year of its 6th anniversary. The European and global radiation protection frameworks are outlined and the role of the EuroSafe Imaging initiative's Call for Action in successfully achieving international radiation protection goals as set out by those frameworks is detailed.

Radiation dose management systems-requirements and recommendations for users from the ESR EuroSafe Imaging initiative.

The European Directive 2013/59/Euratom requires member states of the European Union to ensure justification and optimisation of radiological procedures and store information on patient exposure for analysis and quality assurance. The EuroSafe Imaging campaign of the European Society of Radiology created a working group (WG) on "Dose Management" with the aim to provide European recommendations on the implementation of dose management systems (DMS) in clinical practice. The WG follows Action 4: "Promote dose management systems to establish local, national, and European diagnostic reference levels (DRL)" of the EuroSafe Imaging Call for Action 2018. DMS are designed for medical practitioners, radiographers, medical physics experts (MPE) and other health professionals involved in imaging to support their tasks and duties of radiation protection in accordance with local and national requirements. The WG analysed requirements and critical points when installing a DMS and classified the individual functions at different performance levels. KEY POINTS: • DMS are very helpful software tools for monitoring patient exposure, optimisation, compliance with DRLs and quality assurance. • DMS can help to fulfil dosimetric aspects of the European Directive 2013/59/Euratom. • The EuroSafe WG analyses DMS requirements and gives recommendations for users.

RADIATION DOSE FOR PATIENTS WITH KAWASAKI DISEASE UNDERGOING FLUOROSCOPICALLY GUIDED CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION.

The goal of the present study was to estimate the radiation dose for a group of 45 Kawasaki disease (KD) patients undergoing fluoroscopically guided cardiac catheterization. The sample of procedures corresponds to a single hospital and was collected in 10 years. Anthropometric characteristics and the quantities of air kerma-area product (PKA) among others were recorded for each procedure. Monte Carlo PCXMC 2.0 software was used to estimate organ and effective doses. The PKA value of 7.2 Gy cm2 was proposed as the local Diagnostic Reference Level for KD. For organ absorbed doses, median values for thyroid, heart, lungs, esophagus, skin, active bone and breast were 1.2; 2.2; 4.6; 2.7; 1.1; 1.2 and 2.7 mGy, respectively. For effective dose, the mean value was 2.7 ± 2.5 mSv. This paper presents the first patient dose values for the KD using catheterization techniques, in Latin America and the Caribbean Region.

Dose-reducing fluoroscopic system decreases patient but not occupational radiation exposure in chronic total occlusion intervention.

AIMS: Several novel low-dose fluoroscopic systems (LDS) developed recently, but real practice information of the net benefit for the patient and professionals is scarce. We evaluated separately patient and operator radiation exposure during percutaneous interventions of chronic total occlusions (CTO). METHODS: A total of 116 consecutive CTOs were analyzed (60 in LDS and 56 in standard-dose fluoroscopic system [SDS]). Digital dosimetry of patient and occupational (operator and scatter dose) exposure was prospectively recorded. RESULTS: Biometrics, demographics, CTO variables, and operators were distributed evenly. Patient radiation exposure was effectively decreased in LDS (dose area product [DAP] by 36%, Air Kerma [AK] by 47%). However, occupational data showed no statistical differences between LDS and SDS. The LDS uses less radiation amount but with higher energy (due to additional filtration) compared to SDS, therefore increasing the scatter dose. When comparing the C-arm scatter dose to the DAP we found higher scatter dose with the LDS (0.0139 mSv/gray (Gy)*cm2 vs. 0.0082 mSv/Gy*cm2, p < .001). This was confirmed in a larger dataset comprising 5,221 coronary procedures. CONCLUSIONS: LDS was safer for patients reducing DAP and AK compared to SDS. However, occupational doses were not lower and scatter dose higher. Radiological protection measures must be kept maximized even in LDS.

High filtration in interventional practices reduces patient radiation doses but not always scatter radiation doses.

OBJECTIVES: In fluoroscopy-guided interventional practices, new dose reduction systems have proved to be efficient in the reduction of patient doses. However, it is not clear whether this reduction in patient dose is proportionally transferred to operators' doses. This work investigates the secondary radiation fields produced by two kinds of interventional cardiology units from the same manufacturer with and without dose reduction systems.Methods:Data collected from a large sample of clinical procedures over a 2-year period (more than 5000 procedures and 340,000 radiation events) and the DICOM radiation dose structured reports were analysed. RESULTS: The average cumulative Hp(10) per procedure measured at the C-arm was similar for the standard and the dose reduction systems (452 vs 476 µSv respectively). The events analysis showed that the ratio Hp(10)/KAP at the C-arm was (mean ± SD) 5 ± 2, 10 ± 4, 14 ± 4 and 14 ± 6 µSv·Gy-1·cm-2 for the beams with no added filtration, 0.1, 0.4 and 0.9 mm Cu respectively and suggested that the main cause for the increment of the ratio Hp(10)/KAP vs the "standard system" is the use of higher beam filtration in the "dose reduction" system. CONCLUSION: Dose reduction systems are beneficial to reduce KAP in patients and their use should be encouraged, but they may not be equally effective to reduce occupational doses. Interventionalists should not overlook their own personal protection when using new technologies with dose reduction systems. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Dose reduction technology in interventional systems may increase scatter dose for operators. Personal protection should not be overlooked with dose reduction systems.

Radiation Dose of Patients in Fluoroscopically Guided Interventions: an Update.

The benefits of fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures are significant and have established new standards in the clinical management of many diseases. Despite the benefits, it is known that they come with known risks, such as the exposure to ionizing radiation. To minimize such risks, it is crucial that the health professionals involved in the procedures have a common understanding of the concepts related to radiation protection, such as dose descriptors, diagnostic reference levels and typical dose values. An update about these concepts will be presented with the objective to raise awareness amongst health professionals and contribute to the increase in knowledge, skills and competences in radiation protection in fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures.