Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study is designed to evaluate the radiation doses received by adult patients during cardiac computed tomography (CT) examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital from May 2024 to August 2024. Patients aged over 20 years undergoing CT angiography on a GE Healthcare Revolution EVO CT scanner following the standard protocol were included. Dose length product (DLP) values were generated by the scanner software for each patient, and the effective dose (E) was subsequently computed. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between effective dose, body mass index (BMI), and injected contrast volume. RESULTS: The mean value of effective dose was observed to be 13.55 mSv, with a minimum of value of 0.175 mSv and a maximum of 27.23 mSv. The median DLP was found to be 943.26 mGy.cm, with a minimum value of 12.47 mGy.cm. The linear regression analysis shows that there exists no dependence of effective dose on BMI and volume of the contrast injected. CONCLUSION: The effective dose mean was 13.55 mSv, with a DLP median of 943.26 mGy.cm. Our audit shows that the mean values of "E" surpass the United Kingdom National Diagnostic Reference Levels (NDRLs) for coronary CT angiography and coronary angiography, 4.3 mSv and 170 mGy.cm, respectively. These findings highlight the need for dose optimization in cardiac CT protocols.