Radioprotection during interventional cardiology procedures

Abstract

Abstract Background The use of ionizing radiation during cardiac catheterization interventions adversely impacts both the patients and the medical staff. Traditional radiation protection equipment is only partially effective. The Cathpax® radiation protection cabin (RPC) has demonstrated to significantly reduce radiation exposure in electrophysiological and neuroradiology interventions. Our objective was to analyze whether the Cathpax® RPC reduces radiation dose in coronary and cardiac structural interventions in unselected real-world procedures. Methods and results In this non-randomized all-comers prospective study, 119 consecutive cardiac interventional procedures were alternatively divided into two groups: the RPC group (n=59) and the non-RPC group (n=60). No significant changes in patients and procedures characteristics, average contrast volume, air kerma (AK), dose area-product (PDA) and fluoroscopy time between both groups were apparent. In RPC group, the first operator relative radiation exposure was reduced by 78% at the chest and by 70% at the wrist. This effect was consistent during different types of procedures including complex percutaneous interventions and structural procedures. Conclusions Our study demonstrates, for the first time, that the Cathpax® cabin significantly and efficiently reduces relative operator radiation exposure during different types of interventional procedures, confirming its feasibility in a real-world setting. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.