RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS of PATIENT RADIATION DOSES in DIGITAL CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY and INTERVENTIONS

This study sought to assess patient and operator eye lens doses in diagnostic coronary angiography (DCA) and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in a University hospital in Oman. Kerma area product (P_kA), cumulative air kerma (CAK) and fluoroscopic time (FT) were retrospectively recorded from the DICOM header for 264 patients. The median (interquartile range) of FT, P_KA and CAK were: 5.3 min (2.6-10.5), 60.9 Gy cm² (41.3-91.4) and 0.86 Gy (0.61-1.29), respectively, for DCA procedures, and they were 20.2 min (13.3-30.1), 174.0 Gy cm² (113.7-253.3) and 2.6 Gy (1.8-3.9), respectively, for PCI procedures. The results revealed wide variability in patient doses among individual patients. Monitoring and recording patient dose data can be valuable for quality assurance and patient safety purposes. Feedback to the operator may help optimize radiation doses to patients and prompt further action, as needed.