TITLE:
Variability in Fluoroscopic Time during Interventional Non-Cardiac Procedures Performed Outside of the Radiology Department
AUTHORS:
Murdhi A. Al Harbi, Abdullah H. Al Malki, Saeed A. Al Ahmari, Khaled Soliman
KEYWORDS:
Fluoroscopy Time, Interventional Radiology, Cumulative Dose, Dose Area Product
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Medical Physics, Clinical Engineering and Radiation Oncology,
Vol.7 No.4,
October
11,
2018
ABSTRACT: Purpose:
Increasing physician awareness of patient exposure to radiation is an important
step towards the reduction of potentially harmful effects of radiation.
Published studies demonstrated that providing physicians with feedback
regarding their fluoroscopy time leads to a reduction in average fluoroscopy
times. The aim
of this work was to analyze and publish our medical center data observed during
the past year; fluoroscopy time (FT), Dose Area Product (DAP) and cumulative dose (CD) were monitored for
radiation protection purposes. Methods: Fluoroscopy time is one of multiple radiation dose
indices used in radiation safety auditing. Such auditing is nowadays turning
into requirement of patient care safety and quality improvement; as indicated
by accreditation bodies both nationally and internationally. All non-cardiac
procedures performed outside
radiology department by surgeons and interventionists are viewed. FT, DAP and
CD are extracted for analysis. Results: a
total of 846 cases were studied (643 orthopedic, 99 others, 73 urology, 17
chest, 7 vascular and 4 ERCP cases). Mean FT was 1.3 minutes, mean CD to the
patient was 12.98 mGy and the mean DAP was 4.53 Gy/cm2. The longest FT noted was 55 min. The maximum CD was
904 mGy and the maximum DAP was 689 Gy/cm2. Using spearman’s
correlation test we found out that there is a significant correlation between
FT and DAP (correlation coefficient = 0.615, p. value 0.001). There is a significant correlation between
FT and CD (correlation coefficient = 0.628, p. value 0.001). Conclusion:
Information about FT that used in each procedure can be used as a tool for
patient dose optimization. As we found a significant correlation between DAP as
well as CD. Reducing
fluoroscopic time (FT) is a radiation protection goal, since it serves the
purpose of protection for both the patient and the workers.