US-12622659-B2 - Radiation shield assembly

US12622659B2US 12622659 B2US12622659 B2US 12622659B2US-12622659-B2

Abstract

A radiation shield assembly is described, configured to block radiation emanating from a radiation source from reaching a user. Two shields are supported by a support arm, and are configured to rotate and translate relative to one another about the support arm's longitudinal axis. This allows the shield to be easily configured and reconfigured as necessary to visualize various parts of a patient's body via radiography.

Inventors

Robert Evans FOSTER
Lloyd Guyton Bowers Cooper
William Thomas Livingston
Foster D. Phillips

Assignees

RAMPART IC, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20251114

Claims (20)

1 . A radiation shield assembly, comprising: a first radiation shield panel configured to be positioned in a transverse orientation relative to an operating table; a second radiation shield panel; a third radiation shield panel; and a vertical member positioned between and coupled to the first radiation shield panel and the second radiation shield panel, wherein the second radiation shield panel is configured to rotate relative to the first radiation shield panel about a first vertical axis defined by the vertical member, wherein the third radiation shield panel is configured to rotate relative to the first radiation shield panel about a second vertical axis, and wherein each of the first radiation shield panel, the second radiation shield panel, and the third radiation shield panel is (i) composed of a rigid material, (ii) planar, and (iii) at least partially transparent to visible light.
2 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein the first radiation shield panel is fixed against rotation relative to the second radiation shield panel and the third radiation shield panel about a horizontal axis extending within a plane defined by the first radiation shield panel and/or the second radiation shield panel.
3 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein the third radiation shield panel is configured to rotate relative to the first radiation shield panel independently of the second radiation shield panel rotating relative to the first radiation shield panel.
4 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein, in one configuration of the radiation shield assembly, the first radiation shield panel extends within a first vertical plane and the third radiation shield panel extends within a second vertical plane different than the first vertical plane.
5 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the second radiation shield panel and the third radiation shield panel has a substantially straight lower edge.
6 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 5 wherein the first radiation shield panel has a substantially straight lower edge.
7 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein the first radiation shield panel and the second radiation shield panel are configured to be suspended entirely above a height of the operating table.
8 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein the third radiation shield panel has a smaller surface area than the first radiation shield panel.
9 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein the third radiation shield panel is not directly coupled to the vertical member.
10 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein the vertical member includes a cylindrical rod.
11 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 wherein the first vertical axis and the second vertical axis are aligned.
12 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a support member coupled to an uppermost portion of the first radiation shield panel.
13 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a flexible radiopaque shroud coupled to a bottom edge of the first radiation shield panel.
14 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first radiation shield panel, the second radiation shield panel, and the third radiation shield panel has a radiopacity of about 1.0 mm lead equivalent.
15 . A radiation shield assembly, comprising: a first radiation shield panel configured to be positioned in a transverse orientation relative to an operating table; a second radiation shield panel; a third radiation shield panel; and a vertical member positioned between and coupled to the first radiation shield panel and the second radiation shield panel, wherein the second radiation shield panel is configured to rotate relative to the first radiation shield panel about the vertical member, wherein the third radiation shield panel is configured to rotate relative to at least one of the first radiation shield panel or the second radiation shield panel about a vertical axis, wherein each of the first radiation shield panel, the second radiation shield panel, and the third radiation shield panel is (i) composed of a rigid material, and (ii) at least partially transparent to visible light, and wherein the first radiation shield panel is fixed against rotation relative to the second radiation shield panel and the third radiation shield panel about a horizontal axis extending within a plane defined by the first radiation shield panel, the second radiation shield panel, and/or the third radiation shield panel.
16 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 15 wherein each of the first radiation shield panel, the second radiation shield panel, and the third radiation shield panel is planar.
17 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 15 wherein each of the second radiation shield panel and the third radiation shield panel has a substantially straight lower edge.
18 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 17 wherein the first radiation shield panel has a substantially straight lower edge.
19 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 15 wherein the third radiation shield panel is not directly coupled to the vertical member.
20 . The radiation shield assembly of claim 15 , further comprising a support member coupled to an uppermost portion of the first radiation shield panel.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/909,841, filed on Oct. 8, 2024, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/525,011, filed on 12 Nov. 2021 (patented). U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/525,011 is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/083,393, filed 7 Sep. 2018 (patented). U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/083,393 is a national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 of International Application number PCT/US18/46318, with an international filing date of 10 Aug. 2018 (currently expired). International patent application number PCT/US18/46318 cites the priority of U.S. Pat. App. No. 62/544,468, filed on 11 Aug. 2017. All of the foregoing are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to radiation protection devices, and specifically to devices to protect medical personnel from radiological hazards in the operating room. BACKGROUND Recent improvements in electronics and robotics have enabled surgeons to use noninvasive microsurgical techniques to replace numerous open incision techniques. When the site of surgical intervention is not open to the operating room, the site must still be visualized in order to adequately guide and control the instruments. This can be accomplished by radiological monitoring, the most common example of which is X-ray monitoring. During the procedure an X-ray generator is positioned on one side of the patient to emit X-rays to the surgical site (this is generally below the patient, although the position of the X-ray generator can be varied as necessary). An X-ray intensifier is positioned to receive the emitted X-rays after they have passed through the surgical site, to convey image data to a monitor or other means to present a visual image to the surgeon. Although these microsurgical techniques represent a vast improvement over previous open body techniques in terms of trauma to the patient, recovery time, and risk of infection, the constant radiological monitoring exposes everyone involved to more radiation than was required using the old techniques. This is a minor concern for the patient, who is likely to undergo only a small number of such surgeries in a lifetime. However, the professional medical staff who perform these procedures have much more frequent exposure, and the cumulative exposure could easily exceed safe limits unless the staff are somehow protected. Previous attempts to solve these problems have serious limitations. Placing heavy shielding around the patient can block the radiation from reaching the medical staff. However, the medical staff still need access to the patient's body, so complete shielding is impractical; because the human body is transparent to X-rays (“radiolucent”), X-rays can shine through the patient's body and expose the medical staff. Any surgery carries with it a risk of life-threatening complications that would require the medical staff to have immediate access to the patient's body. Heavy shields around the patient's body are bulky and difficult to move, which can prevent emergency access by the medical staff to the patient in such a situation. Another attempt to protect medical staff during such procedures has involved worn shielding, or basically radiation “armor.” These have taken the form of lead vests, lead skirts, lead thyroid collars, leaded acrylic face shields, leaded acrylic glasses, and “zero gravity” leaded suits. Radiation armor has a serious disadvantage: it must be of significant mass to block X-rays (generally containing lead, a very dense metal), and it is heavy to wear. Wearing heavy radiation armor rapidly fatigues even a physically fit wearer, and with chronic use can cause orthopedic disorders. When using radiation armor to protect medical staff from X-rays, one health hazard is simply being exchanged for another. Glasses and face shields by themselves might be of a manageable weight, but alone they protect only a tiny portion of the body. “Zero gravity” suits are leaded body suits that are suspended by a rigid metal frame. The frame is mounted on some supporting structure, such as the floor or ceiling. As a result the wearer does not support the suit with his or her body. This type of suspended armor has additional drawbacks. It leaves the wearer's hands and lower arms uncovered and unprotected to allow the wearer to engage in fine manual work. It limits the wearer's range of bodily movement to movements that can be accommodated by the frame, often preventing the wearer from bending over or sitting. They use a static face shield that prevents the wearer from bringing anything close to the face, for example for visual scrutiny. Suspended armor systems are extremely expensive due to their complexity and due to material costs, currently costing about $70,000 per suit. Another form of radiation armor is the mobile “cabin,” that is a radiopaque box on