New Study Suggests Higher Level of Radiation Exposure for Echocardiographers

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – For the general public, the annual limit for radiation exposure is 1 mSv per annum, equivalent to 1000 µSv per annum. On average, the typical office or home exposure is around .1 µSv per hour or 876 µSv per year.

Imaging technologist are obviously exposed to more radiation than the average worker, however a recent study potentially highlights the elevated occupational risk for certain technologist due to exposure to scatter radiation during surgery. With the advancement of surgery techniques that require imaging, more imaging technologists are being utilized in ways that may ultimately jeopardize their health.

Common heart procedures such as left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) and transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER) are both performed using fluoroscopy and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). To assist with the imaging, echocardiographers are brought in for the surgery. Because of the need for manipulation of the probe during surgery, the echocardiographer has to stand close to the patient, resulting in potential exposure to scatter radiation. Some studies have already shown an increased risk of premature cataract formation, atherosclerosis, and left side malignant tumors of the brain in interventional cardiologists, however few studies have examined the risk to echocardiographers.

Because of the proximity of echocardiographers during surgery, researchers from the Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute in Michigan posed the question of whether not they are exposed to greater radiation doses than cardiologists and sonographers during structural heart procedures. The researchers measured radiology levels for echocardiographers, interventional cardiologists, and sonographers during 30 sequential LAAO procedures and 30 TEER procedures.

The average radiation dose per case overall was higher for echocardiographers than for cardiologists. The rate for echocardiographers was 10.6 μSv, compared to 2.1 for cardiologists. LAAO procedures posed a slightly higher exposure for echocardiographers at average dose of 10.6 μSv compared to 10.5 μSv for TEER procedures. For cardiologists, the average exposure level during a LAAO was 3.5 μSv, compared to 0.9 μSv for TEER procedures. For sonographers, the exposure rate was .2 μSv for LAAO procedures, and .0 for TEER procedures. Researchers noted that in more than 25 percent of the cases, the echocardiographers received doses that exceeded 20 μSv, which is 10-fold higher than previously reported average levels across different specialities. The same levels were observed in cardiologists in less than 5 percent of the cases. 

Overall, the researchers concluded that echocardiographers experienced higher head-level radiation levels than cardiologists and sonographers, potentially due to their positioning during surgery.

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