SCAI Consensus Document on Occupational Radiation Exposure to the Pregnant Cardiologist and Technical Personnel

At a glance

Type of study

Guideline or consensus statement

Who was studied

Interventional cardiologists, Mixed lab staff

Topics

Pregnancy and reproductive healthWomen in the fieldWorkforce and careersDosimetry and monitoringRegulation and policy

Summary based on

the abstract

What it found

• Current data do not suggest a significant increase in fetal risk for pregnant women working in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

• Pregnancy alone does not justify excluding pregnant physicians from performing catheterization procedures.

• Radiation exposure in pregnant physicians should still be properly monitored, and adequate radiation safety measures remain warranted.

• Concern about radiation exposure during pregnancy is cited as an important barrier keeping women from careers in interventional cardiology.

• Existing guidelines on pregnancy exposure had been inadequate, which prompted this guidance.

Limits to keep in mind

This is a consensus document based on expert review rather than new data. Only the abstract was available, so the specific dose thresholds and monitoring recommendations are not captured here.

Related research summaries

• SCAI Multi-Society Position Statement on Occupational Health Hazards (2020, Guideline or consensus statement)
• Occupational exposure to ionizing radiation in pregnant staff: Consensus document (Spanish societies) (2023, Guideline or consensus statement)
• Radiation protection for healthcare professionals working in catheterisation laboratories during pregnancy: a statement of the EAPCI in collaboration with EHRA, EACVI, the ESC Regulatory Affairs Committee and Women as One (2023, Guideline or consensus statement)
• Radiation safety program for the cardiac catheterization laboratory (2011, Guideline or consensus statement)
• Occupational Protection in Interventional Radiology. A Joint Guideline of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe and the Society of Interventional Radiology (2026, Guideline or consensus statement)