title: Occupational hazards of interventional cardiology.
abstract: Complex catheter-based interventions and rising case volumes confer occupational risks to interventional cardiologists. Despite advances in technology, modern interventional procedures are performed in a manner remarkably similar to the techniques pioneered decades ago. Percutaneous interventions are associated with operator orthopedic injuries, exposures to blood borne pathogens, and the effects of chronic radiation exposure from fluoroscopy. This review highlights the occupational hazards of interventional procedures and provides a glimpse at the technologies and techniques that may reduce risks to operators in the catheterization laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy, New-York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Nathaniel R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Smilowitz
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balter
authors.forename: Giora
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weisz
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D002309:Cardiology / Q000379:methods*; D005471:Fluoroscopy / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Cataracts; Catheterization; Fluoroscopy; Hazards; Malignancy; Orthopedic; Radiation; Risks