Comparison Of Effective Radiation Shielding Between Rampart IC, M1128 Shield vs Conventional Apron And Shields In Clinical Interventional Procedures

Previous studies have documented that orthopedic injuries and musculoskeletal pain are a likely result of wearing heavy leaded aprons that are designed to shield interventionalists and laboratory staff from radiation. A large, multicenter study found that interventional laboratory employees reported a 67% increase in the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain. Two Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention (SCAI) surveys were performed a decade apart in 2004 and 2014 which both showed similar results on the orthopedic complications on the operators who wear leaded apron protection. The surveys revealed a 60% incidence of orthopedic issues and operators who have been operating greater than 20 years in the Cath Lab compared to a 2.3% incidence of chronic spine problems in the general population. Interestingly, of the operators who had been in practice less than 5 years, 26% already had orthopedic complaints. The study also revealed that over a third of those surveyed had already had to take spine related periods of absence from the catheterization lab. Though in recent years focus on individual radiation attenuation technologies that support both attenuation and orthopedic safety have evolved, the emphasis has been on the operator. A solution has not existed to address radiation attenuation and orthopedic safety for the entire scrubbed interventional team with one system. To address the challenge of radiation protection in this environment without the burden of wearing a heavy lead apron, Rampart IC, M1128 was created. Rampart IC, M1128 is a fully adjustable and portable system that provides radiation protection for operators and their team without having to wear a lead apron. This study will have three randomization arms, each arm requiring 21 procedures for a total of 63 total procedures. Randomization stratification will be based on procedure, not individual subject. Each enrolled subject may be involved in more than one procedure/case. Computer software will be utilized to randomize procedures in a 1:1:1 ratio to either lead apron with ancillary shield, Rampart IC, M1128, or lead apron with the Rampart IC, M1128. Real-time dosimeters will be placed on interventional staff's left temple, shoulder, and hip in order to measure radiation attenuation.