Novel Radiation Shielding Device Shows Dramatic Drops in Operator Radiation in an OBL Setting
The Vein Company, Kingsport, Tennessee
On Thursday morning, interventional cardiologist Robert Foster, MD, from The Vein Company in Kingsport, Tennessee, and president of ORSIF, shared data from a study titled “Evaluation of a Novel Radiation Shielding Device for Reducing Operator Radiation Exposure During Peripheral Fluoroscopic-Guided Interventions in an Office-Based Lab.” The study addresses a longstanding dilemma in endovascular medicine: how to protect clinicians from scatter radiation without the toll of heavy lead garments.
Standard 0.5-mm-lead aprons attenuate only 51% to 99% of scatter and leave up to 40% of the body unprotected while adding as much as 24 lb to the operator’s frame, Dr Foster explained. A 2023 SCAI survey found that 17% of catheterization-lab personnel already restrict their fluoroscopy time because of radiation concerns.
Dr Foster introduced Rampart’s shielding platform, consisting of the mobile Defender and fixed Guardian configurations. Both versions create a transparent, lead-free barrier that permits unobstructed instrument manipulation while eliminating the need for personal lead.
The study was carried out during peripheral interventions in an office-based lab setting, reflecting real-world fluoroscopy workflows rather than idealized lab conditions. Dosimetry badges were placed both over and under the Rampart barrier to capture operator exposure against historical under-apron benchmarks.
Operators standing behind the Rampart shield experienced a 96% to 99% reduction in scatter relative to measurements taken beneath lead aprons. In practical terms, 92% of readings for primary operators and 80% for assistants registered 0.0 mrem, a level that conventional aprons rarely achieve. Dr Foster explained that a typical Rampart-protected case exposes the primary operator to just 0.04 mrem, roughly the dose received from eating 4 bananas, vs 1 mrem (100 bananas) when shielded only by lead. Projected annually, an operator could perform more than 125,000 such procedures without breaching the OSHA limit of 5,000 mrem.
Beyond Dr Foster’s single-site data set, multicenter registry reports confirm consistent, lead-free dose reductions across diverse endovascular platforms. These outcomes complement laboratory modeling that shows the system delivers 99%+ whole-body protection while simultaneously eliminating the musculoskeletal strain responsible for more than 60% of orthopedic injuries among interventional staff.
