Here are four notes from the analysis:
- Members of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions responded to the survey between May and August 2023. Out of the 296 respondents, 91% were interventional cardiologists, 83% were men and 61% were 30 to 50 years old.
- Rates of orthopedic injury and lifetime cancer increased from 49.4% and 4.5% in 2014 to 59.8% and 6.1% in 2023, respectively.
- Among women, 71% expressed wanting the option to step away from the cardiac catheterization laboratory during pregnancy and 28% said they had been discouraged from working in the cardiac catheterization laboratory when pregnant or considering pregnancy.
- “It is imperative to promote the widespread use of radiation protective gear to decrease radiation exposure and encourage utilization of newer radiation protection systems that can minimize the use of lead aprons, a major contributor to orthopedic injuries,” authors of the report wrote.
Read the full analysis here.
