OPtimising protection
Educational resources
Links to educational Resources
Accessible learning resources
* Free to access
* free to access
The ESC’s educational resources in general cardiology and subspecialties provide interactive, evidence-based programmes in support of your continuing medical training. You can attend in person or watch online. Led by some of the leading experts in cardiology, these programmes teach everything you need to stay current in this ever-changing field.
The Radiation Protection for Cardiology e-learning resource has been developed by the British Institute of Radiology in collaboration with representatives from the Royal College of Physicians’ Specialist Advisory Committee in Cardiology, scientists involved in the delivery of radiation protection courses for cardiologists (Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester), clinicians, radiographers and Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare.
The course specifically addresses the requirements of the Training Curriculum in Cardiology, in particular the need for trainee cardiologists to have completed a course on the Ionising Radiation [Medical Exposure] Regulations (IR[ME]R). Experienced cardiologists will find the material useful as a refresher or a means of demonstrating continuing education.
The course consists of six 30-minute sessions, namely:
- Principles of Ionising Radiation
- Factors Affecting Radiation Dose
- Patient Safety Regulations
- Staff Safety Regulations
- Alternative Imaging Modalities
- Use of Contrast Agents
* free access
The training material on this webpage is available for download.
The purpose of the material is to train the trainers, who are hospital personnel e.g. medical physicists/radiation protection officers, medical and paramedical staff concerned in the corresponding specialty.
Approved training packages may be copied, distributed, displayed, incorporated in customized presentations and used for non-commercial use as long as the source of the material is referenced to the IAEA approved training package.
It has been developed in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Society of Radiology (ISR), International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP), International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists (ISRRT), FDI World Dental Federation, International Association of Dento-Maxillofacial Radiology, and Image Gently Alliance.
Videos
Radiation safety is the shared responsibility of everyone working in a cathlab. Interventional cardiologist M. Gilard discusses this issue with S. Carlson, senior nurse and cathlab manager and radiologist H. Faltot. What demand to longer procedures place on the cathlab team? How does preparation, such as planning strategies in advance, help in reducing exposure? What is the place of new technologies in reducing radiation and are levels different between specialists, nurses and patients? Learn about the ALARA concept and why accepting “noisier” images might be a balanced choice… Working together is essential, join the team here…
ORSIF
This video tells the story of one of the world’s most prominent cardiovascular surgeons, Dr. Edward Diethrich, and the career-altering health issues he has faced as a result of chronic, low-level exposure to ionizing radiation through his work.
Time – 5:57
How relevant are concerns about radiation exposure for interventional cardiologists and cath lab staff? How simple are the steps to protect us? J. Nolan asks A. Roguin to describe the concerns and the tips and tricks every cath lab could employ to reduce exposure to possible risks for your patient, the interventionalist or cath lab staff. Distinguish between different radiation sources, whether directly from the equipment or scatter radiation. Learn what elements increase exposure, what orthopedic issues arise from wearing lead aprons. Understand how posture can help, or why proper eye protection and using less cine-angiography can be effective. How should you monitor yourself and cath lab workers? Learn more now…
Time – 10:47
For all physicians performing interventional EP, both ablations and implantations, trained or in training.
The concepts and practical advice also applies to other invasive cardiologists. The course refreshes concepts on radiation exposure, but presents more practical tips and tricks on how to reduce it than most other educational material on this topic. Both beginners and advanced operators will learn.
The Webinar will review some very practical steps that can be implemented to reduce the exposure during interventional electrophysiological procedures by a factor of 10 or more! Reducing exposure to your patients means also similar radiation exposure to yourself and the other cathlab personnel.
By the end of the Webinar, you should be able to estimate the radiation exposure to your patient by calculating effective dose (in mSv) and understand that value as a way to express the biological effect on your patient. You will be able to implement simple technical changes, workflow changes and improved shielding to achieve the goal of a drastic exposure reduction.
Time – 59:25 mins
* free to access but must create a Nucleus account
This course available in English consists of six webinars organized by the IAEA in the period of 2016-2019. Each webinar is addressing a specific topic related to radiation protection of patients and medical staff during fluoroscopy guided interventional procedures.
The course aims to help participants:
- Learn about the growing use of fluoroscopy to guide various types of minimally invasive procedures in place of open surgery, and the associated radiation protection issues
- Understand the radiation induced risks to the patient and medical staff in interventional procedures under fluoroscopy guidance
- Understand key elements of radiation management during fluoroscopy guided procedures
- Learn about the latest recommendations of international organizations on radiation dose limit for lens of the eye
- Understand the various approaches to estimating occupational radiation doses to the lens of the eye
- Learn about tools to map patient skin doses
- Learn how to improve detection of skin injuries in patients and factors that help avoid such injuries
- Learn how to utilize a local patient radiation management program
- Comprehend the need for implementing a strong quality assurance program
- Understand the influence of system specification and setup on optimization of clinical protocols
The estimated time for the course is 6 hours. After viewing all webinar recordings, participants can take a final exam to receive a certificate of completion.
* free to access
* needs adobe flash
This 20 minute Radiation Safety Online course, developed in cooperation with the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), educates workers and other members of the public on matters concerning radiation and radiation safety.