In plain language
In a Norwegian randomized trial of 103 coronary procedures, adding a flexible on-patient lead shield to standard shields lowered measured operator dose at the thyroid collar by about 84%, without raising patient dose. Operators rated it easy to use.
At a glance
- Type of study
- Original research, Randomized trial
- Who was studied
- Interventional cardiologists
- Size
- n = 103 procedures
- Where
- Norway
- Summary based on
- the full text
What it found
Adding the flexible multiconfiguration shield to routine table- and ceiling-mounted shielding cut median relative operator dose by 84.4%.
Key figures: 3.63 (IQR 2.62-6.37) vs 0.57 (IQR 0.27-1.06) μSv/µGy·m2×10-3; 84.4% reduction, P<0.001
Median absolute operator dose per procedure fell by 79.6%.
Key figures: 7.14 vs 1.46 μSv; P<0.001
Extrapolated to 500 procedures a year, estimated annual operator dose fell from 3.6 to 0.7 mSv.
Key figures: 3.6 to 0.7 mSv/year
Reduction was similar in diagnostic angiography and intracoronary procedures, and the shield was the only significant predictor of lower dose in regression.
Key figures: 81.6% (intracoronary) and 86.4% (CA) reduction; P<0.001
User feedback was almost entirely positive and patient radiation exposure did not differ between groups.
Key figures: 99% positive feedback
Limits to keep in mind
Single-center pilot trial of 103 procedures with 10 operators over two weeks, dose measured only at the thyroid collar of the primary operator, and user feedback from a small group; two authors are co-inventors with a pending patent.
Related research summaries
- Recording interventionalists' occupational dose by clinical procedure: a novel approach to radiation safety (2026, Dosimetry measurement study)
- Reduced radiation exposure in the cardiac catheterization laboratory with a novel vertical radiation shield (2019, Prospective cohort study)
- Determinants of operator and patient radiation exposure during cardiac catheterization: Insights from the RadiCure (RADIation reduction during cardiac catheterization using real-timE monitoring) trial (2015, Randomized trial)
- Comparison of operator radiation exposure with optimized radiation protection devices during coronary angiograms and ad hoc percutaneous coronary interventions by radial and femoral routes (2008, Dosimetry measurement study)
- Obesity as a determinant of radiation burden in the cardiac catheterization laboratory (2026, Narrative review)
How this summary was made
ORSIF prepared this summary with AI assistance from the full text of the paper. A program then checked that the passage supporting each finding appears word for word in that source. A person has not yet reviewed each summary, so read the original before relying on a number. ORSIF summarizes research and does not endorse any product or company. Report a problem with this summary.
Prepared November 3, 2026.