Specific Risks to Patients and Medical Professionals from Radiation Exposure

Citation : Abhinav Sharma, Madhu Reddy, Ajay Vallakati, Pramod Janga,Nirbhay Parashar, Sudharani Bommana, Buddhadeb Dawn, Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy

Contemporary cardiovascular medicine utilizes several tests and procedures that involve the use of ionizing radiation. The use of cardiac imaging has increased several fold in the last three decades with concomitant improvement in cardiovascular outcomes. These tests and procedures, namely, myocardial perfusion imaging and other forms of nuclear cardiac imaging, computed tomography scans, and x-ray fluoroscopy- guided procedures that are performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory predispose both the patients as well as the interventional staff to the deterministic and stochastic effects of low dose radiation. In this article, we discuss the radiation risks from cardiovascular imaging to both patients and medical staff as well as balancing the risks and benefits of cardiac imaging for the patient.