Immediate Adoption of Enhanced Radiation Protection in Catheterization Labs Recommended in Multisociety Statement

July 14, 2026—The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) announced that a multisociety expert consensus statement on radiation protection in catheterization labs was published by David G. Rizik, MD, et al in JSCAI.

The statement is endorsed by SCAI, the American College of Cardiology, the American Society of Echocardiography, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Society of Interventional Radiology, and the Society for Vascular Surgery.

According to SCAI, the statement calls for hospitals, manufacturers, regulators, and professional societies to immediately adopt enhanced radiation protection technologies, modernize radiation safety standards, and strengthen monitoring and reporting practices to better protect the health care teams working in fluoroscopy laboratories.

Further, the document states that broader implementation of enhanced radiation protection devices (ERPDs) is both an ethical responsibility and a necessary evolution of the “As Low as Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA) radiation safety standard for exposures.

As outlined in the society’s press release, the statement calls for health care organizations and policymakers to do the following:

• Share responsibility among healthcare institutions, manufacturers, regulators, and professional societies for improving occupational safety in fluoroscopy laboratories.
• Adopt ERPDs that can dramatically reduce occupational radiation exposure for physicians and staff.
• Modernize federal and state radiation safety regulations to reflect today’s technology and evidence.
• Measure and report radiation safety performance using real-time dosimetry and standardized quality metrics.
• Design safer fluoroscopy laboratories by integrating enhanced radiation protection into imaging systems and procedure rooms instead of relying primarily on heavy wearable lead.
• Expand education, training, and research to accelerate implementation and continuous improvement.

“For decades, we accepted occupational radiation exposure and the physical burden of heavy protective equipment as unavoidable realities of working in a fluoroscopy laboratory,” commented Dr. Rizik, Chair of the writing group, the SCAI press release. “That is no longer acceptable. Technologies available today can greatly reduce radiation exposure while also addressing the orthopedic injuries associated with traditional lead protection. The question is no longer whether these solutions exist. It is whether we are willing to make protecting healthcare workers the priority it deserves. This consensus makes clear that the time for implementation is now.”