Abstract
This study estimates the mean annual occupational dose of Hp(0.07) and Hp(10) for cardiac catheterization personnel in Saudi Arabia. A retrospective analysis was conducted for 875 workers to estimate both the Hp(0.07) and Hp(10) radiation dose values using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) from 2015 to 2019. The workers were divided into 10 medical centers around the country. They consisted of cardiologists, radiologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, medical students, and medical assistants. The mean annual Hp(10) and Hp(0.07) radiation dose over the 5-year study period were 0.95 ± 0.02 mSv (range, 0.09–4.51 mSv) and 0.93 ± 0.02 mSv (range, 0.07–4.38 mSv), respectively. No single dose exceeded the International Commission on Radiological Protection dose limits. More than 94% of the workers received Hp(10) and Hp(0.07) radiation doses of less than 2 mSv. The results revealed that no statistically significant differences in Hp (0.07) (F (9,327.8) = 1.05; p = 0.391) and Hp(10) (F (9,865) = 1.60; p = 0.11) doses among the workers in the centers. The Hp(10) and Hp(0.07) values for catheterization laboratory (cath-lab) workers in this study imply that cath-labs are a safe environment in terms of occupational radiation protection. This is due to high personnel awareness of the importance of applying the “as low as reasonably achievable” principle. Yet, it is strongly recommended that cath-lab workers take every reasonable approach to keep their radiation exposure as low as practically achievable.
•The study was conducted for 875 cath-lab workers to estimate the occupational dose.•The workers were divided into 10 medical centers around Saudi Arabia.•The annual average Hp(10) dose over the 5-year study period was 0.95 mSv.•The annual average Hp(0.07) dose over the 5-year study period was 0.93 mSv.•No single dose exceeded the recommended ICRP dose limits.