Of the human-made radiation dose to which US citizens are exposed, 90% is from medical imaging tools1. It’s widely known that interventional cardiologists (ICs) have the most occupational radiation exposure of any medical profession. In one recent study, the hospital radiation badges that most commonly exceeded established radiation limits were worn by those in the cardiology division. Since workloads and the complexity of procedures such as PCI, also known as angioplasty, have increased over the past few years (without a real increase in the number of specialists available) fewer ICs are handling more cardiology procedures and subsequently are being exposed to more and more radiation. Long-term “low” level radiation (like what medical professionals are exposed to during cardiology procedures) can pose a serious health risk overtime as well1. Cardiac catheterization, in particular, can be a major source of radiation exposure for healthcare professionals.
