Reducing radiation exposure in the cath lab: What you need to know

So, I would like to ask you, what do we know in 2026 about radiation exposure?

Evidence, trials and studies show that radiation has both short-term and long-term effects on our health, and even small doses, when repeated over years, can have cumulative health effects on both patients and staff.

What do they have to know about the rules and regulations that they have to follow during any procedure? All this stuff in the cat lab.

Everything we do in radiation safety comes back to one principle, ALARA, as low as reasonably achievable.

And it's based on three simple elements, time, distance and shielding.

So whenever possible, we have to reduce the fluoroscopy time and stay as far as possible from X-ray tube and use proper shielding.

Proper shielding, yes, that's really important.

So I think that there are some innovations that maybe many of interventional cardiologists and nursing professionals are using in the cath lab.

So what about these innovations? What do they have to know?

Technology is taking radiation safety to the next level and it can significantly reduce scattered radiation.

There is advanced shielding systems in different designs which can provide full body protection while reducing reliance on heavy lead aprons.

Also, we have live dosimeters that shows your radiation dose in real time during the procedure.

Instead of waiting for monthly reports, you can actually see your dose instantly.

And more importantly, you can react immediately.

If the dose goes up, you can adjust your positioning, your behavior, or your distance.

and it can attract multiple staff at the same time.

So that's the real value of it.

It raises awareness and supports Alara.