Procedural time and radiation dose in pediatric cardiac catheterizations at a hospital in Spain
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58597/rpe.v5i1.133Keywords:
Cardiac Catheterization, Heart Defects, Congenital, Fluoroscopy, Radiation Dosage, ChildAbstract
Objective: To evaluate and describe procedural duration and radiation dosage during pediatric cardiac catheterizations performed at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital (HSJD), Barcelona, in 2025. Materials and Methods: An observational, descriptive, and retrospective study was conducted including patients under 18 years of age with congenital heart disease who underwent cardiac catheterization in the hemodynamics laboratory between June and August 2025. Demographic variables, type of procedure (diagnostic or therapeutic), total procedural time, fluoroscopy time, anesthesia time, and dose-area product (DAP, mGy·cm²), obtained from the digital angiography system, were recorded. Variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 68 procedures were performed, of which 75.0% were therapeutic. The mean age was 5.9 years and the mean weight was 21.8 kg. The mean total procedural time was 50.8 minutes, with a mean fluoroscopy time of 10.72 minutes and a mean anesthesia time of 96.2 minutes. Diagnostic procedures showed longer procedural times and higher DAP (3,450 mGy·cm²) compared to therapeutic ones (550 mGy·cm²). Among the most frequent procedures, atrial septal defect closure presented the lowest DAP (130 mGy·cm²). Complications were infrequent, and no intra-procedural mortality was recorded. Conclusion: Pediatric cardiac catheterization at our center was performed with appropriate standards of safety and efficiency, with radiation doses comparable to those reported internationally.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Fredy Prada-Martinez, Juan Carretero-Bellon , Sheyla Reyes-Laserna
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