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Article
Radiation exposure to the interventional echocardiographers and sonographers: A call to action
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
  • Enrique Garcia-Sayan, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
  • Renuka Jain, Advocate Health - Midwest
  • Priscilla Wessly, Advocate Health - Midwest
  • G Burkhard Mackensen, Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
  • Brianna Johnson, Advocate Health - Midwest
  • Nishath Quader, Division of Cardiology, Washington University School of Medicine-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.
Affiliations

Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center

Scholarly Activity Date
7-1-2024
Abstract

Interventional echocardiography is a rapidly growing field with the disciplines of cardiology and anesthesiology, with the rise of advanced transcatheter procedures making skilled imagers more important than ever. However, these procedures also involve frequent manipulation of the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe, which means interventional echocardiographers (IE) are at risk of long-term occupational radiation exposure. Studies have shown that radiation exposure is linked to various health issues, including cancer, cataracts, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, endothelial dysfunction, vascular aging, and early atherosclerosis. While there is increasing awareness of the occupational radiation dose limits and the need for better shielding methods, the importance of radiation safety for the IE is still not sufficiently prioritized in most cardiac catheterization laboratories/hybrid operating rooms. This is partly due to a paucity of studies looking at long-term radiation exposure to the IE, as this field is newer than that of interventional cardiologists.

Type
Article
PubMed ID
38490315
Citation Information
Garcia-Sayan E, Jain R, Wessly P, Mackensen GB, Johnson B, Quader N. Radiation Exposure to the Interventional Echocardiographers and Sonographers: A Call to Action. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2024;37(7):698-705. doi:10.1016/j.echo.2024.03.002