Occupational exposure of the operator eye lens in digital coronary angiography and interventions

We present operator eye lens dose in cardiac angiography (DCA) and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Air kerma-area product (P_KA) values were extracted from DICOM header concerning 250 patients who underwent DCA and PCI procedures. Procedures were performed using biplane digital fluoroscopy system with flat-panel detectors. P_KA to eye lens dose conversion coefficients derived from literature were used to retrospectively estimate operator eye lens doses to 8 cardiologists who performed on average 20–40 IC procedures each during three month period. Based on literature review, P_KA to eye lens dose conversion coefficients ranged from 0.8 to 2.2 μSv.Gy⁻¹cm⁻² (Median: 1 μSv.Gy⁻¹cm⁻²). The estimated operator eye lens doses ranged from: 45.3–73.0 μSv per procedures in DCA and from: 92.9–207.8 μSv per procedures in PCI. These doses are comparable to the literature and are very close to the annual dose limit suggesting the need for routine monitoring of the eye lens dose. The results provide a starting data point for institutional optimization radiation protection of the staff in interventional cardiology.