Innovative radiation protection system enables reduction in the weight of lead aprons during electrophysiological procedures

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.