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Updated: Jan 6, 2026
Non-fluoroscopic Catheter Tracking for Fluoroscopy Reduction in Interventional Electrophysiology
Published on: May 26, 2015
Innovative radiation protection system enables reduction in the weight of lead aprons during electrophysiological
Avishag Laish-Farkash1, Michael Rahkovich2, Yonatan Kogan2
1Electrophysiology and Pacing Unit, Cardiology Department, Assuta Ashdod University MC, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 7 HaRefu'ah St., Ashdod, 7747629, Israel. avishagl@assuta.co.il.
Background:
Fluoroscopy-guided medical procedures require medical personnel to wear lead aprons (typically 0.5-mm Pb), which weigh up to 7 kg and can cause significant occupational injuries. A novel robotic radiation-blocking system, Radiaction, reduces full-body scattered radiation by 92% for all Cath-lab staff.
Objectives:
This study aimed to determine if lighter lead aprons, when combined with Radiaction, can provide protection comparable to the standard 0.5-mm Pb aprons.
Methods:
Three setups were tested: (1) 0.5-mm Pb apron without Radiaction (control), (2) 0.25-mm Pb apron with Radiaction, and (3) 0.125-mm Pb apron with Radiaction. Radiation attenuation was measured through analytic calculations, bench tests, and clinical prospective controlled evaluations in an electrophysiology laboratory.
Results:
According to analytical calculations, radiation reduction was 98% for 0.5-mm Pb aprons, 98.5% for 0.25-mm Pb with Radiaction, and 97% for 0.125-mm Pb with Radiaction. Bench tests showed reductions of 97%, 98.9%, and 98%, respectively. Clinical evaluations showed reductions of 99.2% for ablation procedures (98.8% upper- and 99.6% lower body) and 97.1% reductions for cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) procedures (94.4% upper- and 99.7% lower body) with the 0.25-mm Pb apron and Radiaction. With the 0.125-mm Pb apron and Radiaction, reductions were 97.9% for ablations (97.4% upper- and 98.4% lower body) and 81.7% for CIED procedures (65% upper- and 98.5% lower body).
Conclusions:
The 0.25-mm Pb apron with Radiaction appears to surpass the standard 0.5-mm Pb apron in radiation protection, while the 0.125-mm Pb apron with Radiaction offers comparable protection. This suggests that Radiaction enables significant apron weight reduction during electrophysiologic procedures without compromising safety and potentially reducing orthopedic injuries.
