Quantifying Ergonomic Risk in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory: A Comparative Study With and Without a 'Lead-free' Radiation Protection System
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Summary
The goal of this observational study is to quantify ergonomic risk associated with traditional protective equipment in operators working in the cardiac catheterization laboratory as compared with a mobile protection system. The main questions it aims to answer is: What is the mean time spent by operators in positions of high ergonomic postural risk during cases? Participants will wear IMU, EMG, and radiation sensors, as well as complete baseline and discomfort surveys for several catheterization procedures.
Description
Study subjects will wear the following equipment on their head and back including: four IMU sensors, eight EMG sensors, and one radiation sensor. Before the catheterization procedure, members of the study team will affix the IMUs on the subject and ensure that the devices are properly calibrated using a calibration procedure as per manufacturer protocol: standing upright with arms and fingers pointing downward and the thumb pointing forward, leaning forward hinging at the hips, and a final pose returning to upright standing position. Participants will periodically be asked to return to upright…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 21+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Any member of the BWH cardiac catheterization laboratory who participates in procedures including: * faculty interventional cardiologists and trainees * general cardiology fellows * residents * physician assistants * nurses * circulating and monitoring technologists * Physically able and willing to wear the sensors required for data collection in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Interventionalists not actively participating in the BWH Cardiac Catheterization Lab * Not able or willing to wear the necessary sensors
Location
- Brigham and Women's HospitalBoston, Massachusetts