International project on individual monitoring and radiation exposure levels in interventional cardiology

Introduction: IAEA has launched the Information System on Occupational Exposure in Medicine, Industry and Research (ISEMIR) project. The Working Group on Interventional Cardiology (WGIC) started a 3-year activity to assess levels of exposure and methods applied for individual monitoring and to setup an international database of occupational exposures. Methods: Two worldwide surveys have been addressed to national regulatory bodies (RB) and interventional cardiologists (IC) to collect information and staff doses from a hospital sample. Results: 200 ICs from 32 countries and 81 RBs from 55 countries responded. Concerning dosimetry: 72% of ICs use personal dosimeters, and 36% always two; 26% knew their doses. Only 57% of RBs define number and position of dosimeters for the staff monitoring requiring: 40% one dosimeter, 83% dosimeter be worn over the apron and 20% two dosimeters. Less than 40% of RBs could provide doses. Preliminary doses from 20 hospitals in 15 countries are: mean (maximum) Hp(10) over apron 7.6 (42.3), 6.1 (26.3) and 3.4 (14.6) mSv/y, respectively for hemodinamists, electrophysiologists and nurses. Conclusions: Survey results proof poor compliance with staff monitoring recommendations in a large fraction of cathlabs, the need for staff monitoring harmonization and staff education. The large majority of IC doses are of poor quality, while those of nurses are generally of acceptable quality. Quality indexes have been developed to identify poor data for the purpose to automatically analyse doses will be provided to the designed and under-development international database.