The InterCardioRisk tool estimates the radiation dose (in mGy) received by your eye and brain during your career in interventional cardiology or electrophysiology. It then calculates the risk of cataracts and brain tumour, respectively, associated with this dose.
Please enter your exposure history on the left.
Please be patient when entering the number of procedures per year. The progress bar at the top of the screen indicates calculation time remaining.
Please insert a correct birth date (posterior to the start of the working period)
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
The InterCardioRisk tool estimates the radiation dose (in mGy) received by your eye and brain during your career in interventional cardiology or electrophysiology. It then calculates the risk of cataracts and brain tumour, respectively, associated with this dose.
Please enter your exposure history on the left.
Please be patient when entering the number of procedures per year. The progress bar at the top of the screen indicates calculation time remaining.
Please insert a correct birth date (posterior to the start of the working period)
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
The InterCardioRisk tool estimates the radiation dose (in mGy) received by your eye and brain during your career in interventional cardiology or electrophysiology. It then calculates the risk of cataracts and brain tumour, respectively, associated with this dose.
Please enter your exposure history on the left.
Please be patient when entering the number of procedures per year. The progress bar at the top of the screen indicates calculation time remaining.
Please insert a correct birth date (posterior to the start of the working period)
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
The InterCardioRisk tool estimates the radiation dose (in mGy) received by your eye and brain during your career in interventional cardiology or electrophysiology. It then calculates the risk of cataracts and brain tumour, respectively, associated with this dose.
Please enter your exposure history on the left.
Please be patient when entering the number of procedures per year. The progress bar at the top of the screen indicates calculation time remaining.
Please insert a correct birth date (posterior to the start of the working period)
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Click on the Underlying assumptions tab for information on what typical working practices are assumed in the calculation.
Introduction
Medical staff working in interventional cardiology may be exposed to ionising radiation during their work. There are potential health risks associated with exposures to ionising radiation, due to its capacity to irreversibly alter biochemical processes in the body. At low to moderate doses, exposure to ionising radiation may ultimately lead to the development of cancer or cataracts, for example (a latency period of 5 years has been considered).
The radiation protection paradigm assumes that there is a risk of cancer at any level of exposure i.e. no level of exposure can be considered to be entirely ''safe''. This implies the so-called linear no threshold (LNT) theory, and its use aims to protect against adverse effects of radiation exposure. Recommendations issued by radiation protection bodies typically suggest that exposures to ionising radiation should be as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). Those working in interventional cardiology may employ a number of radiation protection measures to reduce the radiation dose that they absorb, and thereby reduce their risk of experiencing adverse health outcomes.
Our tool allows medical staff working in interventional cardiology to estimate their cumulative radiation dose over their career and calculates the risks of two adverse health outcomes (cataracts and brain tumour) associated with their exposure. Estimates are also presented of radiation dose and associated risks under alternative scenarios in which protection measures are either maximally employed or not used at all.
We hope that the tool serves to remind those working in interventional cardiology of the potential risks to their health of radiation exposure, and of the great benefits in terms of reduction of dose and adverse health risks that use of radiation protection measures can provide.
Usage of radiation protection measures
In the 'Typical working practices' scenario we assume that the following usage was made of radiation protection measures ([1]).
Proportion of procedures carried out
In the 'Typical working practices' scenario we assume that the following breakdown of operations were carried out by a practicing interventional cardiologist/electrophysiologist ([1]).
