Impact of radiation to the eye of operators during endo-cardiovascular surgery and the importance of protection

Objective To verify the amount of radiation exposure to the eye of operators during endocardiovascular surgery (ECVS) in hybrid operating room (HOR), which increases the risk of cataracts in surgeons. Methods Fifty cases of ECVS (including 36 transcatheter aortic valve implantation and 14 thoracic endovascular repair) using the transfemoral approach performed from February 2020 to July 2020 were included. A measurement device was attached to the left side of the head of the operators and their assistants to measure the cumulative dose (CD) of intraoperative radiation exposure. The subjects were divided into the control group (Group C, n = 26), received conventional protection using the protective curtain in HOR and the protected group (Group R, n = 24), received conventional protection and protection sheet. The normalized CD by dose area product (CD/DAP) was evaluated. Results The CD/DAP of the surgeons was significantly decreased in Group R, averaging at 5.97 μSV/Gy cm 2 in Group C group and 4.40 μSV/Gy cm 2 in Group R ( p < 0.01). Moreover, CD/DAP of the assistant was significantly reduced in the Group R, with an average of 1.87 μSV/Gy cm 2 in the Group C and 1.01 μSV/Gy cm 2 in Group R ( p < 0.01). Conclusions The radiation exposure to the surgeon’s eye could be significantly reduced by protection sheet.