A study on the impact of operator experience on the patient radiation exposure in coronary angiography examinations

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of cardiologists' experience on the patient received dose during coronary angiography. The exposure parameters including fluoroscopy time, total kerma-area product (KAP), total air-kerma, fluoroscopy and cine acquisition KAP and air-kerma for five senior cardiologists with the experience of 6-10 y were recorded. The range of values for fluoroscopy time and total KAP were 2.17- 4.19 min and 12.06-21.06 Gy cm(2), respectively, in our diagnostic coronary examinations, which was below the recommended reference values. The differences among cardiologists were analysed statistically using one-way ANOVA test. The fluoroscopy KAP and air-kerma results showed statistically significant differences between cardiologists. However, the experience of the cardiologists showed no relation with patient received dose. According to the results, training in radiation protection as a requisite for interventional cardiologists was recommended.