Courtesy of Dr. Ariel Durán. I am pleased to witness the increased amount of scientific papers in high impact journals addressing topics related to radiation protection or the harmful effects of radiation on our patients and primary or secondary operators. Similarly, it is my pleasure to see that SOLACI has acknowledged this growing concern by<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2018/01/09/on-radiation-protection-editorial-by-dr-ariel-duran/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Even in the hands of experienced operators, rechanneling and angioplasty of a chronic total occlusion (CTO) results in patients and the whole cath lab team receiving high doses of radiation, according to this registry presented at the American Heart Association 2017 Scientific Sessions. Up to 23% of patients who undergo rechanneling of a CTO receive<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2017/12/01/radiation-exposure-in-chronic-total-occlusions/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Despite technological developments, all people working at a cath lab are inevitably exposed to radiation and its effects. The radiation dose received by the operator is highly variable depending on procedure type, experience level, equipment used, patient characteristics, etc. Exposure to this scatter radiation may have deterministic effects, such as the onset of cataracts or<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2017/11/28/protective-shield-radpad-reduces-the-radiation-dose-received-by-operators-in-the-cath-lab/" title="Read more" >...</a>
The recent publication of several reports on risk of cataract, left sided brain tumors, subclinical atherosclerosis and chromosome damage among interventional cardiologists has raised increasing concerns about radiation exposure in the cath lab. Recognizing these risks has created a demand of these new forms of protection. Unfortunately, these have mainly been focused on the main operator,<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2017/11/15/study-confirms-lead-shields-protect-cath-lab-staff-from-radiation-exposure/" title="Read more" >...</a>
In recent years, we have seen (both as witnesses and actors) an exponential increase in the number of fluoroscopically-guided cardiovascular interventions carried out by interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, and vascular surgeons. Not long ago, most pathologies treated with these procedures were the exclusive domain of open surgery. Now, a large number of patients can be treated<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2017/11/08/important-study-detects-radiation-induced-dna-damage-in-operators-after-an-endovascular-procedure/" title="Read more" >...</a>
In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the occupational hazard for interventional cardiologists who have high and unprecedented levels of ionizing radiation exposure. microRNAs are a class of short and highly conserved non-coding RNA molecules (about 22 nucleotides) that become altered (dysregulated) in many diseases. Read also: “Nearly half of interventional cardiologists may<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2017/10/23/effects-of-cerebral-radiation-on-interventional-cardiologists/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Thoracic radiation causes cardiac lesions, and coronary arteries are among the most affected structures. Furthermore, it provokes obstructive lesions due to wall fibrosis. Generally, patients with this background are not eligible for surgery and receive angioplasty, a seemingly great alternative. However, there is no clear information on outcomes yet. This<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2017/06/07/angioplasty-in-lesions-due-to-radiation-treatment-presents-similar-mortality-rates/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Both physicians and patients are exposed to higher radiation doses during radial access PCI compared to femoral, according to this large contemporary study on high volume PCI operators of ACS patients. Even though the difference in radiation exposure was relatively small for patients (approximately 10% higher for radial PCI) this translated into double the<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2017/04/08/higher-radiation-dose-in-patients-and-operators-with-radial-approach-rad-matrix-dosimeter/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Original title: Effectiveness of Fluorography Versus Cineangiography at Reducing Radiation Exposure During Diagnostic Coronary Angiography. Reference: Shah B et al. Am J Cardiol. 2014 Apr 1;113(7):1093-8. Coronary angiography is the gold standard for defining obstructive coronary disease. However, radiation exposure remains an unclear and unwanted risk. The aim of this study was to determine whether the new digital<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2014/03/31/n-4376/" title="Read more" >...</a>
The development of interventional cardiology has led us to successfully treat injuries and angiographic situations increasingly complex. This goes along that often the length of procedures is increasing automatically leading to increased fluoroscopy time and film images. The result, often unnoticed, is the possibility of the appearance of irradiation injuries in our patients or in<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2014/02/03/n-4222/" title="Read more" >...</a>