Re: Angiogram Dose

[radman@znet.augusta.ga.us (Jim Davis)]

Jim,  there are several references which will provide approximate doses
for standard types of clinical procedures - none of which are very helpful
due to the many variables involved.  I would suggest that the medical
physicist or RSO at the medical facility could give you a reasonable 
approximation based on average clinical study time for a typical
angiogram for the equipment at that facility.  If you are just trying to
"ball park" the dose for your staffer, that will likely suffice.  Also, as 
you are probably aware, patient doses from clinical radiographic 
procedures are not to be included as part of an occupational worker's dose 
limits. If you need the references, let me know.
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>Jim Barns writes:
>
>
>>Hello all,
>>
>>One of my workers recently received an angiogram.  A small tube was 
>>threaded up through a small incision in his leg to the heart region, a 
>>radio-opaque die was injected into his blood stream, and "lots" of 
>>x-rays taken.  I checked my standard references and found nothing 
>>discussing the doses involved.
>>
>>Does anyone know how much dose he is likely to have received?
>>
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Jim Barnes, CHP
>>Radiation Safety Officer
>>Rockwell International, Rocketdyne Division
>>
>>
>>
>
>If you know the specific film techniques used (kV, MAS, tube to table 
>distance, patient thickness, total beam filtration, etc.), the Handbook of 
>Radiation Doses in Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic X-Ray, by James G. 
>Kereiakes and Marvin Rosenstein, CRC Press,  will allow you to estimate 
>various organ doses.  Even if you don't know the specifics, with a little 
>educated guessing and the nomographs in the book, you can approximate the 
>dose.  Angiograms also involve a considerable amount of fluoroscopic 
>exposure, so you will also want to know how long the physician stood on the 
>exposure switch.  Most good facilities record techniques for each film 
>exposure and the total fluoroscopy time, so the information you need should 
>be available from the radiology department at the facility performing the 
>examination.
>
>Hope this helps. 
>***************************************************************************
>  Gerald Feldman, M.S.
>  Radiation Safety Officer
>  UCI Medical Center
>  101 City Drive South, Rt. 107
>  Orange, California  92668
>  Voice:  (714) 456-5607;     FAX:  (714) 634-8639
>  E-mail: gfeldman@uci.edu
>***************************************************************************
>
>
>