In 2022, Lauren Ramsey, a breast surgical oncologist based in Texas, lost a friend and colleague to breast cancer. Her friend was an orthopedic surgeon, and Ramsey believes that occupational exposure to radiation in the operating room could have contributed to her cancer diagnosis.
“Orthopedic surgeons work with a lot of radiation because radiation is in the X-rays,” Ramsey told Healthcare Brew. “That really got me thinking about the protection that we wear as women in the operating room.”
Women orthopedic surgeons are nearly 3x more likely to develop breast cancer than the general population, according to a May 2022 study from Stanford University.
That’s why Ramsey created the BAT, a garment shaped like a T-shirt to protect the breasts, axilla, and thyroid from radiation exposure. At least two major hospitals in Texas have already placed orders for the product since it went to market at the beginning of September, she said, and it is available at any hospital where Burlington Medical supplies radiation protection garments.
Virginia-based Burlington Medical, the company that collaborated with Ramsey to develop the BAT prototype, filed the product with the FDA in July. It currently costs $500 per shield, compared to a standard apron at Burlington Medical, which costs about $600.
Garment goals. In tests, Ramsey said the product reduced radiation exposure in the near breast area up to 97% and in the spine by about 60%.
Clinicians already wear protective garments when performing radiology tasks, though Ramsey said that those don’t protect well enough against breast cancer.
“They’re made for men, and they have a very large armhole so it doesn’t protect the outer quadrant of the breast, which is the most common site of breast cancer,” she said. In a 2015 study, researchers found that in 980 cases of breast cancer, 51.5% of the tumors were located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast.
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Breast cancer incidence is slowly rising in the US (at a 1% annual increase between 2012 and 2021), and the rate is accelerating even faster among younger women. Ramsey said she wants to help clinicians “protect themselves while [they] protect patients” with her invention.
The BAT shield is designed to fit over traditional radioprotective aprons and does not require additional attachments. It has mesh panels for comfort, mobility, and temperature regulation, and comes in 15 different sizes.
“My goal is that this becomes the new standard for hospitals to protect their employees, but it’s not just [for] doctors; it’s also [for] nurses, radiologic technologists, anyone who is around the X-rays,” she said.
Partnering on protection. Burlington Medical is known for making radiation protection garments and works with hospitals around the country.
“I wanted to go with a company that has a great reputation and is really committed to being transparent with [its] providers in making sure that they’re protected,” Ramsey said.
Working with US-based manufacturer Burlington Medical also made it easier to get the BAT shield into a hospital setting faster, she said, as hospitals often already have contracts with approved vendors.
“Since I’m also a practicing surgeon, I don’t have the capabilities to develop my own sales team,” Ramsey said. “I wanted to find a company that already was in this space…so we could really get the BAT out to people sooner and start making a difference.”