Without effective on-site ceiling mounted scatter radiation protection, the skull can be exposed to a high amount of radiation depending on the procedure and exposure time. In these cases, it is advisable to supplement your protective clothing with a radiation protective cap. However, it should be taken into account, particularly with closed caps, that the cap, whilst fully protecting the skull, limits the heat dissipation over the skull.

The human eye is incredibly sensitive towards ionizing radiation, and thus, should be protected with, for example, X-ray protective glasses. Particularly important is the correct fit of the glasses: The X-ray protective glasses must fit particularly tight to the cheeks and the sides of the user’s face. The reason for this is that the secondary radiation emitted from a lying patient does not only hit the front of the eye lenses but rather comes from below or from the sides at different angles. ¹

Regardless of the on-site radiation protection, a radiation protective apron should always be supplemented with some form of thyroid / sternum protection, as the thyroid is an organ which is particularly sensitive to radiation.² It is important to make sure that the thyroid protection and the protective apron completely overlap on the front so that there are no gaps in the radiation protection.

There is hematopoietic bone marrow in the shoulder joint which should be protected.³ In workplaces where you usually stand with your side towards the radiation source (e.g. in cardiac catheter laboratories), the radiation protective apron should at least have one sleeve. Sleeves are also particularly well-suited for preventing the disadvantages of arm cutouts that are too large. The extra radiation protection material ensures that the particularly delicate breast tissue is no longer exposed.

The hands are almost always closest to the patient and consequently to the source of the scattered radiation. As in the entire field of radiation protection, the idea of optimizing the radiation protection also applies here. This means that any possible measure to minimize exposure to radiation must be taken. One option are X-ray absorbing, sterile gloves. Nowadays, the characteristics of these gloves are so similar to conventional surgical gloves that they can be integrated into the radiation protection concept without any problems.