Reporting of radiation exposure in contemporary interventional cardiology trials

OBJECTIVES: To determine reporting of radiation exposure in contemporary interventional cardiology randomized trials published in leading journals. BACKGROUND: Interventional cardiology procedures are a significant source of ionizing radiation, which can have detrimental effects on both patients and medical personnel. METHODS: The EuroIntervention 2010 supplement served as a source of randomized trials in interventional cardiology published in scientific literature from 2000 to 2010. RESULTS: Of all the trials in the supplement, 204 represented original research and were examined for reporting of radiation dose and fluoroscopy times. Only eight trials (3.92%) reported either radiation exposure or fluoroscopy time, covering 16,563 patients (4.55% of the total patient population of 363,727). All of these trials were published after 2006. The average fluoroscopy time reported in seven trials was 13.6 min and the mean radiation dose reported in three trials was 58.67 Gy cm(2) . CONCLUSIONS: Radiation exposure is not consistently reported in contemporary interventional cardiology trials. Even when reporting occurs, trials may not report detailed data such as radiation dose, radiation exposure time, or fluoroscopy time. Although reporting of radiation exposure has not been a requirement in research studies, efforts by professional societies and regulatory authorities toward standardized reporting should aid clinicians in making a more informed decision on specific interventional procedures and devices.