In plain language
In a Chinese national survey, interventional cardiologists reported more body pain, bone and joint disease, cataract and anxiety than matched non-interventional colleagues, and most said heavy lead aprons took a physical toll. Findings are self-reported associations.
At a glance
- Type of study
- Original research, Cross-sectional survey
- Who was studied
- Interventional cardiologists, Other physicians
- Size
- n = 1,044 cardiologists (642 interventional, 402 non-interventional)
- Where
- China
- Topics
- Musculoskeletal injury and ergonomicsEye lens and cataractsPersonal protective equipmentWorkforce and careersWomen in the field
- Summary based on
- the abstract
What it found
Interventional cardiologists reported body pain far more often than matched non-interventional cardiologists.
Key figures: 56.6% vs. 24.2%, p < 0.001
Bone and joint disease, cataract and anxiety were also more common among interventional cardiologists.
Key figures: bone and joint disease 21.7% vs. 8.6%, p = 0.001; cataract 3.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.039; anxiety 8.1% vs. 2.5%, p = 0.029
Most interventional cardiologists complained of physical toll from heavy personal protective equipment (PPE) and very few were satisfied with it.
Key figures: 3.3% satisfied; 83.0% complained of physical toll
Back pain risk was independently associated with female gender, performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or two or more procedure types, and annual procedure volume.
Nearly all interventional cardiologists would prefer to perform procedures without radiation exposure.
Key figures: 90.7%
Limits to keep in mind
Online self-reported survey of tertiary-hospital cardiologists with possible response and recall bias; cross-sectional design cannot establish that lead PPE causes the pain, though propensity matching was used.
Related research summaries
- Occupational Health Hazards in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory: Results of the 2023 SCAI Survey (2025, Cross-sectional survey)
- Radiation Exposure, Training, and Safety in Cardiology (2024, Narrative review)
- SCAI Multi-Society Position Statement on Occupational Health Hazards (2020, Guideline or consensus statement)
- Increasing Awareness and Reducing Occupational Hazards in the Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology Laboratories: Working to Eliminate Lead and Complications of Radiation in Cardiovascular Team Study (2026, Cross-sectional survey)
- Occupational Pelvic and Chest-Level Radiation Exposure Among Interventional Echocardiographers During Percutaneous Structural Heart Interventions (2026, Dosimetry measurement study)
How this summary was made
ORSIF prepared this summary with AI assistance from the abstract of the paper. A program then checked that the passage supporting each finding appears word for word in that source. A person has not yet reviewed each summary, so read the original before relying on a number. ORSIF summarizes research and does not endorse any product or company. Report a problem with this summary.
Prepared November 3, 2026.