Extended Protective Shield Under Table to Reduce Operator Radiation Dose in Percutaneous Coronary Procedures

Area of Science:

• Interventional Cardiology
• Radiation Safety
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Operator radiation exposure remains a concern during percutaneous coronary procedures, particularly at the pelvic region.
• Existing protective tools effectively reduce thoracic radiation dose but not pelvic dose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of under-the-table adjunctive shields in reducing operator radiation exposure during percutaneous coronary procedures.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, single-center, randomized study (EXTRA-RAD) involving 205 transradial coronary procedures.
• Patients were randomized into two groups: standard arrangement and adjunctive under-the-table shield.
• Two types of under-the-table shields were compared within the shield group.

Main Results:

• Adjunctive shields significantly reduced radiation dose at the pelvic region (42 µSv vs. 13 µSv, P<0.0001).
• Shields also lowered radiation dose at the thorax level (4 µSv vs. 2 µSv, P=0.001).
• Dose reduction was consistent across all operators, with no significant difference between shield types.

Conclusions:

• Under-the-table adjunctive shields are effective in significantly lowering operator radiation dose at both pelvic and thoracic levels during transradial coronary procedures.
• These shields represent a valuable tool for enhancing radiation safety in interventional cardiology.