Assessing lead curtains’ impact on radiation protection in coronary interventions

Abstract The objective of this investigation is to assess the impact of supplementary lead curtains on the reduction of radiation dose exposure to operators during coronary interventional procedures. Seven standard positions during coronary angiography (foot, right foot, head, left foot, left lateral, left head, and right lateral) were simulated on a standard anthropomorphic phantom with radial artery access. Measurements were taken at two different heights, 125 cm and 155 cm, and dosimeters were used to measured surface incident dose rates for the first and second operators, both with and without additional lead curtains at various positions. Each position was measured 20 times, and arithmetic means were computed. A t-test was utilised to compare dose rates with and without supplementary lead curtains, as well as dose rates with additional lead curtains at varying heights. The finding indicate that the dose rates of the first operator with supplementary lead curtains were not significantly lower compared to those without, except for the 125 cm head and left foot positions and the 155 cm head position with the additional lead curtain edge 10 cm below the umbilical level (t umbilical = 0.9, 0.4, 0.5, P > 0.05). The dose rates of the second operator with additional lead curtains were significantly lower than those without, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). The arithmetic mean dose rates for the first and second operators at each position were lowest when the upper edge of the additional lead curtain was situated 10 cm above the umbilical level. Employing supplementary lead curtains during coronary interventions effectively reduces radiation doses received by operators. The protective effect is enhanced when the additional lead curtain is closer to the irradiation field. Hence, it is recommended that additional curtains be employed judiciously, while ensuring that clinical procedures are not impeded, in order to effectively mitigate the radiation exposure of operators.