OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE IN PEDIATRIC CARDIAC-CATHETERIZATION

Radiation doses to staff involved with pediatric cardiac catheterizati on were measured using thcrmoiuminescent dosimeters in 18 procedures. The average doses to the lens and thyroid, and the effective dose per procedure to the main operating physicians was 88, 180, and 8 mu Sv, r espectively; to assistant physicians, 23, 51, and 2 mu Sv; and to tech nicians, 23, 27, and 2 mu Sv. In some procedures, the dose to the tech nician's hand approached 1,500 mu Sv. The doses received by physicians mere proportional to cineangiographic time but with no correlation wi th integrated currents, The number of procedures which may be performe d in a year by individual staff members was estimated to be 430 and 2, 780 procedures for physicians and assistants, respectively, It was sug gested that the front of the neck is an adequate position for the dosi meter to measure doses during pediatric catheterization.