How to Maintain Lead Aprons (The Dos and Don'ts)
We've seen some interesting maintenance practices over the years, from physicians washing lead aprons in a car wash to soaking thyroid collars in the scrub sink outside the OR.
Proper maintenance of X-ray garments extends their lifespan and keeps them working well, ensuring patient and staff safety. Improper maintenance can mean replacing aprons sooner or even risks of infections.
This article outlines the most common dos and don'ts we see when it comes to lead apron maintenance. To ensure longevity and optimal safety with your X-ray garments, follow manufacturer guidelines and our suggestions.
Storage
We commonly receive requests to help hospitals review garment storage options after their first round of scheduled services reveals many garments with cracks and tears in the attenuation. Typically, improper storage is the primary culprit of attenuation damage.
Proper storage is essential for increasing the lifespan of your X-ray garments and ensuring they protect your team.
Dos:
Hang aprons on a heavy-duty hanger or garment-specific hooks on the wall.
Hang the garment by both shoulder panels.
Hanging an apron hastily by one shoulder panel can damage it over time because it isn't properly supported, creating tears in the attenuation material.
Roll garments up like a beach towel to avoid sharp creases, or lay them flat on top of one another when transporting.
Don'ts:
Do not intentionally fold or crease lead garments, as this will can lead to cracks and tears in the attenuation.
Cleaning and Sanitization
Routine and quarterly deep cleaning of lead aprons can reduce hospital-acquired infections, as we’ve learned based on our 10+ years of research and personal experience.
(We’ve also created an in-depth guide on how to clean and sanitize your lead garments.)
Dos:
Wipe down aprons with approved wipes after each use.
We recommend Clorox Hydrogen Peroxide Wipes or Ecolab Quaternary Based Wipes.
Deep clean and sanitize your lead aprons quarterly.
Governing bodies, such as AORN, recommend quarterly cleaning and disinfection of high-touch objects.
Deep cleaning uses friction, which is required to eradicate biofilm and other contaminants properly.
Don'ts:
Do not put lead aprons in a washing machine.
Some manufacturers might say this is okay for routine cleaning, but it is not recommended. Washing machines will likely damage your garments.
Friction is necessary to break down and eradicate bacteria and biofilms on garments but isn’t used in machine washing.
Biofilm and contaminants on the apron can then get into your washer, spreading contaminants to future items washed in the machine.
Do not hose down lead garments or put them in your truck and go through the car wash (yes, we've seen it happen!).
Again, friction is not used in this process, which is necessary to break down and eradicate bacteria and biofilms.
The cleaning agents used in car washes can also damage the apron.
Do not use a cart washer or autoclave.
These use steam and heat for cleaning, which will damage the lead apron.
Do not clean garments with any extreme heat or extreme cold.
Do not expose X-ray garments to direct sunlight.
Do not use Lysol wipes, Febreze, bleach wipes, alcohol, or anything acidic.
These products have chemicals in them that will break down the apron material.
Integrity Inspections (X-Ray Scanning)
It's difficult to know if you have dangerous holes, cracks, or tears in the attenuation without an X-ray scan. Undiscovered holes and tears could result in unwanted radiation exposure and lawsuits.
RCS started as a cleaning business because my co-founder and I got ringworm from thyroid collars. Today, we are equally concerned about integrity inspections and the looming litigation that can arise from neglect in this area. Regardless of whether your state requires a radiographic inspection of each garment or not, we believe it is best practice.
Dos:
Regularly scan your lead aprons using X-ray imaging to pick up microtears and cracks that are impossible to see or feel.
Learn your state’s regulations on how often lead aprons should be X-ray scanned.
State laws vary, but we believe the best practice is to scan them yearly to protect staff and patients from radiation.
Outsource scanning to a company like RCS if you do not have enough time in-house.
Don'ts:
Do not rely on visual and palpation tests to examine garments for holes, cracks and tears in the attenuation. Not all holes, cracks or tears are visible this way.
Inventory Management
Inventory management is essential for staff safety and successful audits. We do it for our customers using RADCOMPLY™, and we also wrote a five-step guide to help you manage your lead garment inventory. Below are a few key takeaways.
Dos:
Implement an inventory management system to track your inventory, repairs, cleanings, and integrity scans.
RCS uses RADCOMPLY™, a proprietary, cloud-based software.
Stay up to date on protocols and be prepared for audits.
Outsource this service if needed.
Don'ts:
Do not skip having an inventory management system.
This can lead to inefficient maintenance and leave you unprepared for compliance audits.
Summary & Key Takeaways
Hang aprons by both shoulder panels and avoid folding them,which will lead to cracks and tears much faster than if properly stored.
Deep clean aprons quarterly– do not only use wipes and sprays, as this does not fully clean and sanitize your aprons.
Do annual X-ray scans and do not rely only on visual inspections, which can miss tears invisible to the naked eye.
Use an Inventory Management System to stay organized for maintenance and audits.
Replace aprons when necessary using proper disposal.
Why Maintenance is Important
Protection: Proper maintenance keeps your lead aprons in top-quality shape and more effectively protects staff and patients from radiation.
Reduce Costs: Keeping track of minor tears and repairs extends the lifespan of lead aprons, saving you money on recycling old aprons and ordering new ones.
Staff & Patient Satisfaction: Clean and well-maintained aprons boost staff and patient satisfaction because they're more comfortable and feel safe in the garment. (We hear from hospital workers all the time how nice it is not to have to worry about dirty or worn-out aprons. Some even use it as a value proposition for recruiting!)
Let RCS Handle Your Lead Garment Care
RCS has spent over a decade developing a proven best-practice process to keep our customers safe, including a proprietary two-step cleaning and sanitization process that yields the best outcomes defined by the CDC.
We are setting the standards of care for lead apron management by including yearly scans in our process and offer RADCOMPLY™, our proprietary, cloud-based inventory management software for X-ray garment tracking and regulatory needs.
Contact RCS today or view our website for detailed information on all our services
