Survey of the interventional cardiology procedures in Italy

First local diagnostic reference levels for fluoroscopically guided cardiac procedures in adult patients in Chile

The goal of this study was to generate the first values of local diagnostic reference levels for a range of fluoroscopically guided cardiac diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in adult patients in Chile and to compare radiation dose levels with others presented in the literature. The dosimetric data collection period was conducted over the whole of 2020. The local diagnostic reference levels were calculated as the 75th percentile of patient dose data distributions for kerma area-product values. The sample of collected clinical procedures (480) was divided into diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The kerma area-product differences found between diagnostic and therapeutic procedures were statistically significant. The local diagnostic reference levels were 81.6 Gy cm2 and 166.9 Gycm2 for fluoroscopically guided cardiac diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, respectively. A comparison of our results with results found in the literature for the last 10 years, showed that there are no published papers for hospitals in Latin America and the Caribbean. It becomes urgent to be able to carry out more research of this type, given that the health reality between countries on different continents is very different. While in some the establishment of diagnostic reference levels is a legal obligation, in others it is a matter of good or bad will.

Local Diagnostic Reference Levels in Interventional Radiology

PURPOSE

Interventional cardiology procedures, during which live images are acquired, involve exposure to x-rays. The use of fluoroscopy can cause high radiation doses to patients and operators because of the prolonged duration of x-ray emission. For this reason, special attention and constant vigilance represent challenges for commissions and groups of experts in the field. The purpose of this study is to establish local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for these procedures, to improve radiological practice, and to optimize radiation doses.

METHODS

This work was carried out in two university hospitals and two private medical facilities in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, during the period 2017-2018. The study concerns 657 interventional cardiology procedures (457 coronary angiography [CA] and 200 percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty [PTCA]), performed by 11 cardiologists on different installations in 5 catheterization rooms. The data collected for each procedure were patient age, height and weight, dosimeter indicators in terms of dose area product (P_KA), total air kerma at the reference point (K_ar), fluoroscopy time (FT), and the number of frames, together with the primary beam parameters as kV and total mAs. The proposed DRLs were set from the 75th percentile of the P_KA and FT.

RESULTS

The mean of P_KA for CA and PTCA procedures were 29.2 Gy∗cm² and 70.4 Gy∗cm², respectively, the mean of fluoroscopy time were 4.0 min and 12.17 min for 334 and 685 frames, respectively. Results for the local DRLs were 37.3 and 87.1 Gy cm² for P_KA and 4.48 and 16.15 min for FT, corresponding to CA and PTCA procedures.

CONCLUSION

This work focuses on proposing local DRLs in Morocco for CA and PTCA procedures. The results show that the values found conform with those of international studies.

Provision of Italian diagnostic reference levels for diagnostic and interventional radiology

OBJECTIVES

The diagnostic reference level (DRL) is a useful tool for the optimisation of medical exposures. Thus, a Working Party coordinated by the Italian National Institute of Health and the National Workers Compensation Authority has been formed to provide Italian DRLs, for both diagnostic and interventional procedures, to be used as appropriate for the implementation of the 2013/59 European Directive into the national regulation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The multidisciplinary Working Party was formed by professionals involved in diagnostic and interventional radiology medical exposures and started from a critical revision of both the literature and the results of previous Italian surveys. The procedures were divided into five sections for adult (projection radiography, mammography, diagnostic fluoroscopy, CT and interventional radiology) and two sections for paediatric patients (projection radiography and CT). The provided DRL values have been identified for "normal" adult patients and for age-classes of paediatric patients.

RESULTS

Some of the DRL values provided by the Working Party are reported in this study as an example, divided by adult/paediatric patients, radiological technique and examination: specifically, DRLs for new radiological practices and new dose quantities as DRLs metric were introduced. The median value (rather than the mean) for each procedure, derived from a sample of patients, has to be compared with the corresponding DRL value, and dosimetric data related to a minimum number of patients should be collected for each examination.

CONCLUSIONS

The approach to the definition and use of DRLs through guidelines of national Authorities in collaboration with scientific Associations should simplify the periodical updating and could be useful for keeping the optimisation of medical exposures faithful to the development of radiological practice.

RADIATION DOSE TO PATIENTS IN CORONARY INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURES: A SURVEY

The objective of this study was to evaluate dose-area product (DAP) and peak skin dose (PSD) for coronary angiography (CA) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The DAP and PSD of 300 randomly selected patients who were referred to CA and/or PCI, over a period of 3 months were recorded and analyzed. The mean DAP of 32 Gy cm2 and mean PSD of 412 mGy for CA were lower than 118 Gy cm2 and 857 mGy, respectively, for PCI. The DAP range of 2-84 Gy cm2 for CA and 12-378 mGy for PCI were also established. The maximum value of PSD for PCI procedures reached above the 2 Gy threshold for erythema. However, these values are similar to those available in literature. Periodic surveys may be required to monitor and/or reduce radiation doses in coronary interventional procedures.

Summary of the Italian inter-society recommendations for radiation protection optimization in interventional radiology

OBJECTIVES

A Working Group coordinated by the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) and the National Workers Compensation Authority (Istituto Nazionale per l'Assicurazione contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro, INAIL) and consisting of 11 Italian scientific/professional societies involved in the fluoroscopically guided interventional practices has been established to define recommendations for the optimization of patients and staff radiation protection in interventional radiology. A summary of these recommendations is here reported.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A multidisciplinary approach was used to establish the Working Group by involving radiologists, interventional radiologists, neuroradiologists, interventional cardiologists, occupational health specialists, medical physicists, radiation protection experts, radiographers and nurses. The Group operated as a "Consensus Conference". Three main topics have been addressed: patient radiation protection (summarized in ten "golden rules"); staff radiation protection (summarized in ten "golden rules"); and education/training of interventional radiology professionals.

RESULTS

In the "golden rules", practical and operational recommendations were provided to help the professionals in optimizing dose delivered to patients and reducing their own exposure. Operative indications dealt also with continuing education and training, and recommendations on professional accreditation and certification.

CONCLUSIONS

The "Consensus Conference" was the methodology adopted for the development of these recommendations. Involvement of all professionals is a winning approach to improve practical implementation of the recommendations, thus getting a real impact on the optimization of the interventional radiology practices.

PATIENT DOSIMETRY DURING INTERVENTIONAL CARDIAC PROCEDURES IN A DEDICATED CATHETERIZATION LABORATORY

Cardiac interventions often result in high radiation dose to patient's skin, so a reliable indicator in terms of a commonly used dose descriptor is required to monitor skin exposures. In the present study, Gafchromic XR-RV3 film was used to measure the peak skin dose (PSD) during 40 coronary angiography (CA) and 50 percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures. Corresponding values of kerma-area product (PKA), fluoroscopy time (FT) and reference air-kerma (Ka,r) were recorded and correlated with PSD. Doses to patient's eyes and thyroid were also measured by using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) during PTCA procedures. The average dose to thyroid was about six times higher than the average dose to eyes. The mean values of PSD, PKA and FT were 1140 mGy, 97 Gy cm2 and 15.7 min for PTCA and 290 mGy, 21.1 Gy cm2 and 2.4 min for CA procedures, respectively. One in seven patients of PTCA procedure received PSD >2 Gy. With respect to FT, PKA may be used as a better predictor of skin exposures because the correlation of PSD with PKA was found better than with FT for both CA and PTCA procedures.

Risk factors of radiation dose in patients undergoing peripherally-inserted central catheter procedure using conventional angiography equipment and flat panel detector-based mobile C-arm fluoroscopy

BACKGROUND

Although peripherally-inserted central catheter (PICC) insertion is commonly performed under fluoroscopic guidance, few reports have addressed performance and dosimetry when PICC is inserted under C-arm fluoroscopy.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the risk factors of radiation dose in performing PICC insertion using flat panel detector-based mobile C-arm fluoroscopy and a conventional angiography machine.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Ninety-eight patients underwent the PICC procedure using conventional angiography equipment (n=49) or flat panel detector-based mobile C-arm fluoroscopy (n=49). Data were prospectively analyzed from July to November 2012. Dose-area product (DAP), tube voltage, tube current, fluoroscopy time, and image quality measured on a 5-point scale were estimated and compared using appropriate statistical tests.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in tube voltage, fluoroscopy time, and image quality between conventional angiography and mobile C-arm fluoroscopy. DAP, mean arm tube current, and tube current in chest fluoroscopy were significantly lower in mobile C-arm fluoroscopy than using the conventional angiography machine (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified tube current in chest fluoroscopy, arm tube current, and fluoroscopy equipment as significant risk factors for elevated radiation dose in PICC insertion.

CONCLUSION

PICC insertion can be performed using flat panel detector-based mobile C-arm fluoroscopy instead of a conventional angiography machine. Image quality and fluoroscopy time were not different between the two systems and the use of C-arm fluoroscopy significantly reduced radiation dose.

An investigation of patient doses during coronary interventional procedures in China

The purpose of this study was to estimate patient doses during coronary angiography (CA) and different complex percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures in China. Consecutive 290 patients (90 CA, 200 PTCA) with known or suspected coronary artery disease were enrolled prospectively into six groups. Differences in patient doses among the six groups were analysed, and the patient doses observed in this study were compared with the recent literature. The median dose area product values were 27.0 and 195.0 Gy cm(2) for CA and PTCA, respectively. The patient doses during CA were similar to those reported by other authors, while those during PTCA were higher. The differences in radiation doses depended on the complexity of the procedures. Enhanced knowledge of radiation doses may help cardiologists implement radiation-sparing procedures to minimise patient exposure.