Suspended Lead Suits and Radiation Exposure in Interventional Echocardiographers

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) procedures pose occupational radiation exposure risks to interventional echocardiographers (IEs).
• Optimal radiation shielding methods for IEs during LAAO are not well-established.
• IEs work in close proximity to radiation sources, increasing exposure risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of suspended lead suits versus traditional lead aprons in reducing IE radiation dose.
• To assess radiation dose reduction during LAAO procedures using different shielding methods.

Main Methods:

• A blinded, cross-sectional study involving 125 adult patients undergoing LAAO.
• IEs wore head-level dosimeters during procedures.
• Radiation doses were compared between IEs using suspended lead suits (95 cases) and traditional lead aprons (30 historical cases).

Main Results:

• Suspended lead suits resulted in a median radiation dose of 0.0 μSv, significantly lower than the 10.6 μSv with traditional lead aprons (P < .001).
• Radiation doses were undetectable in 60% of cases using suspended lead suits versus 0% with traditional aprons.
• No cases with suspended lead suits exceeded 20 μSv, compared to 30% of cases with traditional aprons.

Conclusions:

• Suspended lead suits significantly reduce head-level radiation dose for IEs during LAAO.
• These findings highlight the potential of suspended lead suits as an effective radiation shielding mechanism.
• Implementing suspended lead suits can mitigate occupational radiation exposure risks for IEs in structural heart interventions.