Brisbane hospital introduces radiation protection technology

Metro North Health’s The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH) has introduced new radiation protection technology to safeguard cardiologists from potentially harmful radiation while performing lifesaving procedures.

The Rampart radiation protection technology, brought to Australia by Wilhelm Integrated Solutions Cardiologists, has been installed into the hospital’s cardiac catheter laboratory where interventional cardiologists perform around 4000 procedures each year, including approximately 1000 percutaneous coronary interventions.

This is the first time Rampart is said to have been introduced into a facility for full-time use in Australia and is the first installation outside of the USA.

Rampart is claimed to provide clinicians with greater radiation protection, allowing them to perform complex procedures safely without the need to wear lead aprons.

Prince Charles Hospital Interventional Cardiologist Dr Rustem Dautov, who has worked collaboratively with Metro North Health to introduce the technology after seeing US interventionalist Dr Stéphane Rinfret using the technology, is excited about what the new the technology will mean for clinical practice at TPCH.

“As Queensland’s leading cardiac hospital, The Prince Charles Hospital performs many interventional cardiac procedures each year, so will benefit greatly from the new Rampart technology which offers our clinicians greater protection and more comfort,” Dr Rustem Dautov said.

Rampart is a fully adjustable and portable system that provides full-bodied radiation protection. It also gives interventionalists multiple vascular access points, including right radial, bi-lateral femoral and bi-lateral pedal. Its flexible design could potentially accommodate new procedures in the future.

Image caption: Left: Exec VP, Global Bus Dev, Rampart Matt Lemay; Centre: Interventional Cardiologist, Dr Rustem Dautov; Right: Radiographer, Jim Crowhurst.