New – IAEA – Launch a study of Patient Dose and Tissue Reactions as a result of Fluoroscopically Guided Interventional (FGI) Procedures.
Stewart Whitley, Director of Professional Practice and Dr Napapong Pognapang Vice President ISRRT Asia/Australasia, attended a Technical Meeting on Radiation Protection in Fluoroscopically Guided Interventional (FGI) Procedures held at the IAEA’s Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from 7 to 9 March 2022 (Virtual via Webex).
At this meeting details of an important study of Patient Dose and Tissue Reactions as a result of Fluoroscopically Guided Interventional (FGI) Procedures was presented.
IAEA HQ – Vienna, Austria
IAEA – Launch a study of Patient Dose and Tissue Reactions as a result of Fluoroscopically Guided Interventional (FGI) Procedures.
The IAEA are seeking involvement of those active in FGI procedures. For more details and the methodology click on the new International study of patient doses and tissue reactions from fluoroscopy guided interventional procedures which is currently in planning. Please read the study methodology, if you are interested to participate, kindly complete the online feedback form.
Rationale
In recent years, minimally invasive medical interventions performed under fluoroscopy and other types of imaging guidance have been extensively replacing the open surgery for many medical interventions. Further, the number of image-guided interventional procedures performed by physicians of different specialities has also dramatically increased. The growth in the variety, frequency and complexity of these sometimes relatively higher radiation dose procedures and the involvement of staff who may have insufficient radiation protection training, pose challenges for patient dose management and occupational safety. Patients may be at risk of tissue reactions, and both patients and staff may be at increased risk of a stochastic effect.
The overall objective of this project is to make the best use of the international collaboration coordinated by the IAEA, to collect and analyse information on patient and staff dose and exposure metrics in FGI procedures for various practices and settings worldwide. The project will be implemented in phases.
First project phase (2022-2023): International study of patient doses and tissue reactions from fluoroscopy guided interventional procedures.
The IAEA will be launching an International Study of Patient Doses and Tissue Reactions from Fluoroscopy Guided Interventional Procedures in 2022, with the following objectives:
• Improve the information about the frequency of occurrence of tissue reactions in patients from different type of FGI procedures (cardiac, neuro, and body) performed in different parts of the world.
• Study the relationship between the tissue reactions and the radiation exposure metrics, procedure factors and patient related factors.
• Use the results of the study to update trigger level values for patient follow up for skin reactions.
• Update recommendations for improving radiation protection of patients.
• Provide feedback for the needed development of the IAEA reporting and learning system SAFRAD.
The duration of this phase is one calendar year.
Who can participate?
Participation in the project is voluntary, and withdrawal is permitted at any stage of the project.
Medical facilities performing FGI procedures from all IAEA Member States can participate. There is no limitation on the number of facilities that can participate.
Different departments/ functional units of the same hospital may register independently or may provide a coordinated response. The same applies to facilities from a region or a country – coordinated data submission from the existing local, national or regional registries is also welcome.
A participating medical facility should perform complex FGI procedures of at least one of the following groups/ types of procedures on a regular basis:
• Cardiac interventions, such as: percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); and especially chronic total occlusion (CTO); transcatheter valve implantations; cardiac ablation; percutaneous repair of septal defects.
• Neurovascular interventions, such as: intracranial or spinal embolization; intracranial and extracranial angioplasty, stenting and stent-assisted coiling; endovascular treatment of stroke; vertebroplasty/ kyphoplasty and vertebral augmentation with an implant; radiofrequency spine tumor ablation.
• Abdominal and thoracic interventions, such as: endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR); transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS); transcatheteral embolisation in the abdomen and pelvis; hepatic chemo/radio-embolization (TACE and SIRT); treatment of arterial stenoses or occlusive disease in the abdomen or pelvis; percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTCD) and stenting; bronchial artery embolization; endovascular central venous reconstruction.
A participating medical facility should nominate a Facility coordinator who will coordinate data collection within the facility and be responsible for submission of deidentified data to the IAEA. Facility coordinators will receive detailed instructions and online support from the IAEA coordinator. They will also be invited to attend trainings and meetings organized by the IAEA. As the trainings and data submission will be in English, coordinators should have sufficient proficiency in this specific language.
The medical facility is responsible for adhering to the local rules and obtaining needed ethical approval for participation in this study.
ISRRT encourages colleagues around the world to actively
