Shields will protect doctors, nurses and technicians from repetitive exposure to low-level radiation used to guide non-surgical heart and blood vessel procedures
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Sept. 3, 2024 — HonorHealth hospitals will soon be among the nation’s first equipped with advanced radiation protection shields at all campuses that perform cardiovascular interventions, in which low-level X-ray radiation is used to guide catheters during non-surgical procedures.
Such shields have already been studied and used for nearly three years through the HonorHealth Research Institute, where published clinical trial results have convincingly demonstrated physician radiation exposure reduced to near undetectable levels. Researchers have concluded this may potentially reduce the risk of cancer and orthopedic injuries associated with repetitive exposure to low-level radiation.
“We’ve been using it successfully, and now we’ve made the decision to do this more broadly at multiple HonorHealth campuses,” said David G. Rizik, M.D., medical director of the Research Institute’s Cardiovascular Research Division, a world leader in studies tracing the dangers of occupational radiation exposure among medical professionals.
A multiple Emmy Award winner, Dr. Rizik is the narrator and a co-producer of an hour-long documentary, Scattered Denial: The Occupational Dangers of Radiation, which is being aired nationwide on PBS. The documentary is scheduled to air locally at 9 p.m. MST Sept. 10 on Arizona PBS-KAET (Channel 8). Dr. Rizik is scheduled to discuss the documentary at 5 and 10 p.m. today on the station’s Arizona Horizon public affairs program.
In addition to documented links to various cancers suffered by interventional laboratory personnel, Dr. Rizik said, they also are at risk for various repetitive orthopedic injuries from wearing heavy leaded aprons, the current protection intended to reduce radiation exposure.
“We have people sustaining orthopedic injury every day,” he said. “We have women in the catheterization laboratory who want a safer environment in case they get pregnant.”
HonorHealth leadership supports move
“HonorHealth is proud to be a national leader in efforts to protect the health and safety of our workforce, and securing these radiation shields is just the latest example of our commitment,” said HonorHealth CEO Todd LaPorte.
John Neil, M.D., HonorHealth’s executive vice president, chief physician executive and network strategy officer, also was a practicing clinical vascular and interventional radiologist for two decades: “Our Mission is to improve the health and well-being of those we serve, and that includes protecting the health and well-being of those who dedicate their professional careers to saving lives and caring for others."
Mark A. Slater, Ph.D., CEO of the HonorHealth Research Institute, praised the adoption of the new radiation protection systems and the Institute’s groundbreaking research, led by Dr. Rizik, in documenting the dangers faced by medical personnel.
“While we’ve seen dramatic technological advances in heart treatments, there have been few improvements in our ability to protect our physicians and nurses from the deleterious effects of radiation exposure,” said Dr. Slater, who also is HonorHealth’s vice president of research. “Accelerating medical innovation to enhance safety, quality of care, and patient outcomes is core to the mission of HonorHealth Research Institute.”
Shields at four more hospitals
Radiation shields have been available during clinical trials at the Institute, headquartered at HonorHealth’s Scottsdale Shea Medical Center.
Additional shields are being purchased or are planned for installation at four additional HonorHealth medical centers: John C. Lincoln, Deer Valley, Scottsdale Osborn and Scottsdale Thompson Peak.
Mark Hansen, vice president of business development for Image Diagnostics, the Fitchburg, Mass., manufacturer of the Protego® Radiation Protection System, said the shields list for about $130,000, which includes a $30,000 Ray Safe Realtime dosimetry system that lets medical personnel know their exposure to radiation, if any, and if there is a potential radiation leak.
HonorHealth has applied to the Arizona Department of Health Services to approve using the radiation shields without also wearing the traditional heavy lead aprons, which are suspected of causing knee, hip and back injuries. Additional studies of apron use are planned at the Institute.
“HonorHealth is making a most powerful statement that they are prioritizing workplace safety; physician and nurse wellbeing and safety,’’ Dr. Rizik said. “It’s a message not only for Arizona, but also for the rest of the nation.”