Relationship Between Fluoroscopic Time, Dose–Area Product, Body Weight, and Maximum Radiation Skin Dose in Cardiac Interventional Procedures

TLDR

Real‑time monitoring of maximum skin dose is unavailable on many X‑ray machines used for cardiac interventions, so physicians often record fluoroscopic time, yet the link between fluoroscopic time and maximum skin dose remains unclear. This study aims to characterize the correlation between maximum radiation skin dose and fluoroscopic time in cardiac intervention patients and to assess whether body weight and dose–area product can also predict maximum skin dose. The authors analyzed patient data to evaluate correlations among maximum skin dose, fluoroscopic time, body weight, and dose–area product, seeking to determine if these variables can estimate maximum skin dose during procedures.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. Real-time maximum dose monitoring of the skin is unavailable on many of the X-ray machines that are used for cardiac intervention procedures. Therefore, some reports have recommended that physicians record the fluoroscopic time for patients undergoing fluoroscopically guided intervention procedures. However, the relationship between the fluoroscopic time and the maximum radiation skin dose is not clear. This article describes the correlation between the maximum radiation skin dose and fluoroscopic time for patients undergoing cardiac intervention procedures. In addition, we examined whether the correlations between maximum radiation skin dose and body weight, fluoroscopic time, and dose–area product (DAP) were useful for estimating the maximum skin dose during cardiac intervention procedures.