BIOTRONIK Distributes Zero-Gravity Weightless Radiation Protection System in the US

BOSTON, Massachusetts and LAKE OSWEGO, Oregon, May 11, 2015 – BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of cardiovascular medical technology, today announced an agreement to be the US distributor of CFI Medical’s Zero-Gravity^™ weightless radiation protection system. To date, more than 275 Zero-Gravity systems have been installed in hospitals around the United States.

Zero-Gravity is a suspended lead body shield which provides optimal, weightless radiation protection without impeding the physician’s freedom of movement. Radiation exposure, along with the physical strain of wearing heavy lead aprons for radiation protection, is a professional risk that physicians who work with fluoroscopy have long endured. A 2014 survey found that 49 percent of interventional cardiologists reported at least one orthopedic issue from the strain of wearing heavy protective apparel and nearly 29 percent confessed to not wearing radiation badges, reportedly for fear of being removed from the laboratory for high dosimetry readings.¹

“Zero-Gravity has proven to be an immense benefit to the electrophysiologist, as well as the hospital and patients, by enabling interventional procedures to be performed without the burden of heavy lead,” said Dr. Colin Movsowitz, Cardiology Consultants of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“Fatigue levels are drastically reduced, supporting increased focus on the tasks at hand and often enabling more daily procedures with negligible radiation exposure,” added Dr. Movsowitz. “I am personally grateful that long-term orthopedic and radiation concerns have been alleviated and encourage my colleagues to consider the benefits of Zero-Gravity.”

In addition to the burden on physicians’ health and careers, hospitals may risk a financial burden due to effects of radiation protection. A high-volume interventional physician unable to perform procedures for six months due to back pain can cost a hospital more than a million dollars in procedural revenue². Since invasive cardiology departments are often one of the principal revenue sources for hospitals, having key income generating physicians on the sidelines can be costly.

“BIOTRONIK is proud to partner with CFI Medical to provide physicians and hospitals with Zero-Gravity as a proactive protection solution,” said Marlou Janssen, President of BIOTRONIK, Inc. “For surgeons who work with fluoroscopy on a regular basis, providing the right shielding equipment is about more than radiation exposure. These clinicians are susceptible to orthopedic injuries resulting from the accumulative effects of wearing heavy protective apparel. Zero-Gravity is the answer.”

1. ^{Klein et al., Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervention. 2015, Early View (Online version) doi: 10.1002/ccd.25927.}
2. ^{2013 Physician Inpatient/Outpatient Revenue Survey, Merritt Hawkins, AMN Healthcare Co.}