The Radiation ProtEction for Dose RedUction in the Cardiac CathEter Lab Study: The REDUCE Trial

Overview

Doctors and nurses who perform heart procedures using X-ray guidance are exposed to radiation, which can be harmful over time. This exposure increases the risk of certain health problems, including cancers, eye damage (cataracts), and DNA damage. Although protective lead clothing is used to reduce exposure, it is heavy, uncomfortable, and can cause muscle and joint problems for those who wear it daily. A new radiation protection device, called RAMPART, may help reduce radiation exposure for heart specialists and their teams. It could also allow them to wear lighter protective gear-or none at all-making their work safer and more comfortable. This study will compare the radiation levels received by doctors and nurses during heart procedures when using RAMPART versus standard protection. By doing so, we hope to find out if this new device can better protect medical teams from radiation, improving both their safety and well-being.

Recent decades have seen major increases in x-ray guided procedures in interventional cardiology, radiology and vascular surgery. Exposure to ionising radiation is known to be an inherent risk and remains a serious and unresolved threat to the health of operators and their team. It is associated with an increased incidence of brain and blood cancers, cataracts, and recent mechanistic data indicates significantly increased DNA damage in those without leaded leg protection. Although existing standard radiation protection measures somewhat reduces exposure, all cardiac catheter lab personnel still receive a certain dose of radiation and continue to accumulate lifetime exposure. Furthermore, leaded personal protective equipment is heavy, leads to orthopaedic complications, and detracts from operator comfort. Novel radiation protection devices such as RAMPART may significantly reduce radiation doses to cardiac catheter lab personnel, and potentially allow the use of lighter lead, or no lead at all. In this study we aim to investigate if use of RAMPART significantly reduces radiation exposure, when compared with standard radiation protection. Standard coronary intervention procedures will be randomised to RAMPART or standard (radiation protection), and operators and Cath lab team doses will be compared.