ARRT Cardiac-Interventional Radiography study plan

Label the four chambers, all valves, great vessels, and papillary apparatus on a blank heart diagram from memory.

Trace systemic and pulmonary blood flow, stating the oxygen saturation change at each station.

Map the coronary arterial tree (left main, LAD, LCx, RCA and major branches) and name the myocardial territory each supplies.

Recite the conduction pathway from SA node through Purkinje fibers, including normal PR, QRS, and QT intervals.

Correlate each phase of the cardiac cycle with its ECG waveform, valve state, and pressure change.

Calculate cardiac output, cardiac index, stroke volume, SVR, and MAP from supplied hemodynamic values.

Differentiate normal pressure ranges in the RA, RV, PA, and PCWP and identify elevated patterns for each chamber.

Explain the pathophysiology behind the major indications for catheterization: CAD, valvular disease, STEMI, and cardiogenic shock.

Identify cath lab equipment by function: table, C-arm, manifold, power injector, and contrast delivery setup.

Walk through a diagnostic catheterization from access and sheath placement to catheter removal and hemostasis.

Sequence the steps of PCI including guide catheter selection, wire crossing, balloon sizing, and stent deployment.

Compare balloon angioplasty, bare-metal stents, drug-eluting stents, and atherectomy devices by indication and limitation.

Describe the workflow for transcatheter valve replacement, ASD/PFO closure, and septal ablation.

Select contrast type, osmolality, injection rate, and pressure settings for coronary versus ventricular angiography.

List the drugs and emergency equipment in a stocked crash cart and state the role of each during a complication.

Recite the standard angiographic views (LAO/RAO with cranial/caudal angulation) and name the coronary segment each best demonstrates.

Grade lesion severity, TIMI flow, and collateral filling from written angiographic descriptions.

Complete 40 mixed Domain 1 and 2 items and log every miss by subtopic.

Re-drill the coronary map and conduction pathway until recalled cold within five minutes.

Explain how kVp, mA, pulse width, and added filtration change contrast resolution and patient dose in fluoroscopy.

Describe image intensifier versus flat-panel detector components and identify veiling glare, vignetting, and pincushion distortion.

Configure pulsed fluoroscopy, last-image-hold, collimation, and spectral filtration to reduce dose without losing diagnostic quality.

Differentiate DSA parameters: frame rate, mask selection, pixel shift, and roadmapping.

Diagnose motion, quantum mottle, detector saturation, and misregistration artifacts and state a corrective action for each.

Compute heat units and explain tube rating charts, anode cooling curves, and detector dose creep.

Estimate patient skin dose from fluoroscopy time and apply ALARA-driven dose reference levels.

Distinguish exposure, absorbed dose, equivalent dose, and effective dose using typical cardiac cath values.

Separate deterministic from stochastic biologic effects and state skin and fetal dose thresholds.

Perform and document QA on the monitor, phantom, and contrast injector against a written schedule.

Apply the inverse square law and geometric shielding principles to reduce operator and patient dose.

State occupational dosimetry rules, including TLD/OSL reporting limits and the ALARA pillars.

Outline pre-, intra-, and post-procedure care: consent, allergy and renal screening, anticoagulation, and access site hemostasis.

Recognize mild, moderate, and anaphylactoid contrast reactions and state the treatment sequence for each.

Apply sterile technique and radiation protection rules governing the control room and procedure room.

Complete a full-length timed mock exam under test-day conditions.

Review every miss from the weeks 1 through 7 logs and rewrite the weakest topics as flashcards.

Drill anatomy, conduction, coronary views, and dose formulas for cold recall in a single sitting.

Condense the highest-yield facts from all four domains into one reference page.