RESUMO
PURPOSE: The primary goal was to evaluate local dose level for fluoroscopically guided invasive cardiac procedures in a high-volume activity catheterization laboratory, using automatic data registration with minimal impact on operator workload. The secondary goal was to highlight the relationship between dose indices and acquisition parameters, in order to establish an effective strategy for protocols optimization. METHODS: From September 2016 to December 2018, a dosimetric survey was conducted in the 2 rooms of the catheterization laboratory of our institution. Data collection burden was minimized using a commercial Radiation Dose Index Monitoring System (RDIMs) that analyzes dicom files automatically sent by the x-ray equipment. Data were combined with clinical information extracted from the HIS records reported by the interventional cardiologist. Local dose levels were established for different invasive cardiac procedures. RESULTS: A total of 3029 procedures performed for 2615 patients were analyzed. Median KAP were 21 Gycm2 for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) procedures, 61 Gycm2 for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures, 59 Gycm2 for combined (ICA+PCI) procedures, 87 Gycm2 for structural heart intervention (TAVI) procedures. A significant dose reduction (51% for ICA procedures and 58% for PCI procedures) was observed when noise reduction acquisition techniques were applied. CONCLUSIONS: RDIMs are effective tools in the establishment of local dose level in interventional cardiology, as they mitigate the burden to collect and register extensive dosimetric data and exposure parameters. Systematic review of data support the multi-disciplinary team in the definition of an effective strategy for protocol management and dose optimization.
