Radiation Exposure in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Patients: How Much Is Too Much?

Abstract

We aimed to determine median cumulative radiation exposure in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients, proportion of patients with high radiation exposure (above annual average radiation per person of 6.2 mSv), and determine risk factors for high exposure. This was a retrospective chart review of PICU patients up to 18 years of age admitted to a large community hospital over 2 years. Radiologic studies and radiation exposure were determined for each patient, and total hospital radiation exposure was classified as high (>6.2 mSv) or not (≤6.2 mSv). Median radiation exposure per patient was 0.2 mSv (interquartile range = 2.1) and 11.7% of patients received >6.2 mSv radiation during their hospitalization. Factors associated with high radiation exposure included admission for trauma or surgery, number of computed tomography scans, age, and PICU length of stay (all P < .0001). We concluded that subsets of PICU patients are at risk of high radiation exposure. Policies and protocols may help minimize radiation exposure among PICU patients.