Standardizing radiation dose reporting in the pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory-A multicenter study by the CCISC (Congenital Cardiovascular Interventional Study Consortium)

Objectives We examine normalized air Kerma area product (PKA) by body weight (PKA/BW) as a reference value of radiation dose and benchmark PKA/BW in pediatric laboratories using a multicenter registry database. Background Reduction of radiation dose is an important quality improvement task in pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratories. Physicians need to agree on a standard method of reporting radiation dose that would allow comparisons to be made between operators and institutions. Methods This was a multicenter observational study of radiation dose in pediatric laboratories. Patient demographic, procedural and radiation data including fluoroscopic time and PKA (µGy m2) were analyzed. PKA/BW was obtained by indexing PKA to body weight. Results A total of 8,267 pediatric catheterization procedures (age