Radiation exposure during pediatric cardiac catheterization was lower than previously reported benchmarks, based on a retrospective analysis published in Clinical Research in Cardiology. The study included all catheterization procedures performed in patients younger than 18 years between 2015 and 2024 and defined procedure-specific dose benchmarks and conversion factors.
For procedures with multiple components, the total dose area product (DAP) was proportionally assigned using weight-adjusted median values (DAP/BW) derived from single-intervention cases. Effective dose (ED) was estimated using a Monte Carlo simulation in randomly selected examinations, and conversion factors between DAP and ED were derived.
The analysis included 3683 procedures in 2494 patients, with a median age of 3.8 years. Body weight showed a stronger association with DAP than age. Median DAP/BW values were 11.7 cGy·cm²/kg for diagnostic procedures and 9.7 cGy·cm²/kg for interventional procedures.
Across most procedure types, radiation exposure was lower than previously published benchmarks. Conversion factors decreased logarithmically with increasing body weight and varied minimally across imaging projections. Only 0.9% of patients exceeded a cumulative ED of 30 mSv.
These findings indicate lower radiation exposure compared with earlier benchmarks, with procedure complexity as the primary determinant of effective dose.
