Patient Body Mass Index and Occupational Radiation Doses to Circulating Nurses During Coronary Angiography

Abstract Background Patient BMI is associated with radiation doses received by interventional cardiologists, yet the association between patient BMI and nurse radiation doses is unknown. This study evaluated the association between patient body mass index (BMI) and nurse radiation doses during coronary angiography. Methods Nurse radiation doses were collected by real-time dosimeters during consecutive coronary angiography procedures and are reported as the personal dose equivalent (Hp10). Patient radiation doses were estimated using dose area product (DAP). Patient BMI was categorized in kg/m2 as Results In 643 consecutive coronary angiography procedures, patient radiation doses increased significantly across increasing patient BMI categories (p Conclusions Patient BMI was significantly associated with nurse radiation doses during coronary angiography. These observations may have important implications on nurse radiation safety, especially in the setting of the ongoing obesity epidemic.