In the past, there was not much that could be done to mitigate the X-ray radiation exposure of interventional cardiologists or cath lab staff. Also years ago, the subspecialty of interventional cardiology was new and few people had experience with what happens to cath lab staff exposed to X-rays for 25-30 years over their career. […]

The biggest workplace concern for interventional cardiologists and cath lab staff is their daily exposure to ionizing radiation from the angiographic X-ray systems that are central to their procedures. In addition to increased cancer risks and developing cataracts, they are also worried about orthopedic issues caused by wearing heavy radiation protection aprons, which takes a

Pop culture and the media often turn radiation into a scarecrow for technology that humanity can’t or shouldn’t control. In reality, radiation is not to be feared. This is because it is an umbrella term, with radiation constantly around us in one form or another and most of it safe. So let’s take a critical

When tasked with redesigning a medical device, four biomedical engineering majors focused their attention on scalpels. Specifically, the blade packaging for the tool. Their blade packaging was designed to protect health care workers from accidental injuries that can occur when handling exposed scalpel blades. Now their invention, Scal-Pal, is one of six competing for Georgia

In medicine, knowledge is power and the information and knowledge gained from medical imaging have transformed the way medicine is practiced in less than a generation. Advances in X-ray imaging have evolved dramatically and span simple projection X-ray examinations to sophisticated 3-D techniques (computed tomography or ‘CT’) to fluoroscopy, which features dynamic images helpful in

When Annie Dennison was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, she readily followed advice from her medical team, agreeing to harsh treatments in the hope of curing her disease. “You’re terrified out of your mind” after a diagnosis of cancer, said Dennison, 55, a retired psychologist from Orange County, Calif. In addition to lumpectomy surgery,

Researchers from Switzerland have developed computer models to estimate the radiation dose to foetuses of pregnant women undergoing CT. The ramifications include better decision-making for doctors and patients, according to the study team. A research team led by Habib Zaidi, head of the PET instrumentation and neuroimaging laboratory at the department of Medical Imaging and

It’s been six and a half years since the giant one-two punch of an earthquake and a tsunami caused a partial meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. In that time, scientists have identified a broad range of consequences, from unrecognized leaks of radioactive water, to a continuing wave of plastic debris carrying new species

Three members of Congress are demanding answers after a St. Louis scholar’s new book revealed details of secret Cold War-era U.S. government testing in which countless unsuspecting people, including many children, pregnant women and minorities, were fed, sprayed or injected with radiation and other dangerous materials. The health ramifications of the tests are unknown. Lisa

Steps can be taken by cardiologists to reduce radiation without sacrificing image quality, according to a presentation from the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology Annual Meeting. James A. Case, PhD, chief scientific officer of Cardiovascular Imaging Technologies in Kansas City, Missouri, and the department of nuclear cardiology at the University of Missouri, said during his