Occupational musculoskeletal disorders in interventional cardiologists

초록

Background: Interventional cardiologist (IC) has been worked under unique occupational situations not the same as other medical disciplines. However, there are limited data regarding musculoskeletal disorders among interventional cardiologists. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MSD among interventional cardiologists. Methods: A web-based questionnaire study was undertaken in June 2021 on interventional cardiologists who are members of a Interventional Cardiology Society. Inquiries included age, gender, years of IC, and interventional cases per week. Questions focused on musculoskeletal problems. Results: Overall, the response rate for the questionnaire was 39.5%. Of the 296 responders, 69.6% (n=206) suffered from any kind of musculoskeletal pain, and among the 90.8% of the symptoms newly developed after work as IC. The most prevalent area of MSD were the back, neck, and knees in those orders. Compared with male ICs the incidence of MSD of female ICs was significantly higher. (66.8% vs. 93.6%, p=0.002) The incidence of MSD increased gradually with the number of procedures. ICs who performed less than 5 cases per week suffered from MSD in 59.6%, however ICs who performed more than 30 cases per week experienced MSD in 100%. Conclusion: Significant proportion of ICs suffered from various type of MSDs related with their job. The incidence of MSDs significantly correlated with the amount of procedure and more prevalent in female IC. Despite the high incidence of MSD, there was no standardized method to prevent occupation hazards in their work environment. Strategies for the prevention of MSDs for IC are urgently needed.