Radiation Safety and Occupational Safety

Khaldoon Alaswad, MD, FACC, FSCAI, is Director of the Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) Program and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab in the Division of Cardiology at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan.In this Cath Lab Conversations episode, Dr. Alaswad reflects on how complex PCI is moving into longer, more calcified, higher-risk cases. Cumulative radiation exposure and the physical toll of protection are becoming career-defining issues. The downstream risks include occupational radiation effects (including cataracts and potential malignancy risk) alongside the musculoskeletal damage that comes from years of heavy lead, awkward positioning, and long cases. Protecting the team is not optional, especially as the field faces workforce pressure and fewer trainees choose interventional work because of these hazards. Scatter shields such as RADPAD (Worldwide Innovations & Technologies) are an important element of a cath lab radiation protection strategy.

What does it look like to run a modern cath lab outside the U.S.? Jason Money, RN, RCIS, shares a unique perspective shaped by more than two decades working in New Zealand’s public healthcare system.

Heart failure management continues to challenge even experienced clinicians, particularly when care depends on episodic office visits and late-stage symptom recognition. Matthew H. Gonzalez, MD, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist at Corewell Health and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, discusses how pulmonary artery pressure monitoring with the CardioMEMS™ HF System made by Abbott shifts management from reactive to proactive by detecting hemodynamic congestion before clinical deterioration occurs. Drawing on clinical data and his experience partnering with community cardiologists, Dr. Gonzalez explains how continuous hemodynamic insight enables earlier therapeutic adjustment, reduces heart failure hospitalizations, and strengthens coordinated care without adding clinic burden.

Ryan K. Kaple, MD, FACC, FSCAI, is the Program Director of the Structural and Congenital Heart Program at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.In this video, Dr. Kaple discusses how the CardioMEMS™ HF System has become an essential tool in managing patients with chronic heart failure. By providing pulmonary artery pressure monitoring, the technology enables earlier identification of decompensation, often before symptoms occur, allowing clinicians to adjust therapy proactively and reduce heart failure hospitalizations. Dr. Kaple shares how integrating the CardioMEMS™ HF System into his heart failure program has improved patient outcomes, optimized care coordination, and enhanced long-term quality of life for this high-risk population.Sponsored by Abbott.

Bailey Estes, MSN, AGNP, RN-BC, RNFA, CNOR, RCIS, talks with Chris Steelman, MS, RT(R)(CI), RCIS, Co-Chair, Allied Health Work Group, American College of Cardiology, and Michelle Bierig, PhD, ACS, RCS, RDCS, Co-Chair, Allied Health Work Group, American College of Cardiology.

Incoming Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) President Srihari S. Naidu, MD, FSCAI, shares what he most values about the Society, his goals in founding the Emerging Leaders Mentorship (ELM) program, and plans for the upcoming year. 

Listen in as the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) President Dr. James Hermiller shares more about his focus on radiation and occupational safety, and looks ahead to the upcoming SCAI Scientific Sessions, to be held May 1-3 in Washington, D.C. 

Hear an overview of what is being offered at the upcoming Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Scientific Sessions, with program chair Dr. Binita Shah.

Srihari Naidu, MD, talks with Bailey Estes, MSN, about his new book for children, Lindsay's Big Heart, focusing on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and how he partnered with HCM patient and Miss Ohio winner Lindsay Davis to write the book.

Rebecca Kapur, Managing Editor for Cath Lab Digest, talks with Dr. Atul Gupta, Chief Medical Officer of Philips Diagnosis and Treatment businesses, and a practicing Interventional Radiologist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gupta has a unique perspective on advancement in the growth of structural heart disease treatment, the miniaturization and automation of echocardiography, and how AI is set to revolutionize the field.