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Radiation Exposure and Adverse Health Effects of Interventional Cardiology Staff

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Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

Part of the book series: Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology ((RECT,volume 222))

Abstract

Coronary angiography (CA), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), catheter-based structural heart intervention, electrophysiological studies, and arrhythmia ablation are procedures that help cardiologists ensure better clinical diagnosis and treatment (Dawkins et al. 2005). During these procedures, catheters, guide wires, and other devices are visualized and guided by using real-time fluoroscopy. Therefore, operators are inevitably exposed to radiation (Kim and Miller 2009). Compared to other departments (radiology, urology, operating rooms, etc.), the cardiovascular or catheterization laboratory is generally considered to be an area of high radiation exposure (Raza 2011). Interventional cardiology (IC) staff is exposed more radiation per year than are radiologists by a factor of two to three (Picano et al. 2007). Invasive cardiology procedures have increased tenfold in the past decade, and growth in the field has been accompanied by concern for the safety of such staff (Picano et al. 2007).

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Dana Wendeler, Documentation officer, Department of Occupational Health Research, Institute for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW), Hamburg, Germany, for her support with the management of the literature. This research project was funded by the Institute for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW), Hamburg, Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Epidemiology and Health Services Research in the Nursing Profession (CV care), University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany

    Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran & Albert Nienhaus

  2. Epidemiology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226001, India

    Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran

  3. Department of Occupational Health Research, Institute for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services, Pappelallee 33/35/37, Hamburg, 22089, Germany

    Frank Haamann & Albert Nienhaus

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  1. Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran
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Correspondence to Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran .

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Kesavachandran, C.N., Haamann, F., Nienhaus, A. (2013). Radiation Exposure and Adverse Health Effects of Interventional Cardiology Staff. In: Whitacre, D. (eds) Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol 222. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4717-7_2

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