dismiss

Webinar: A evolução do serviço de equipamento /Aprenda mais/registo

Other Headlines

Leading job search engine provides notable data.
The American College of Radiology announced it will be among the first to apply for authority to accredit freestanding diagnostic imaging centers as required by new CMS rules.
Get comprehensive ultrasound application training.
Company to host CADstream® MRI-CAD hands-on workshops at annual meeting.
Future-focused performance management system prepares hospital leaders for the changing health care environment.

Have News for Us?

Submit your news on the industry, people, or companies.

Forward to a Friend

More Industry Headlines

ACR Lines Up to Accredit Imaging Centers Under New CMS Rules The American College of Radiology announced it will be among the first to apply for authority to accredit freestanding diagnostic imaging centers as required by new CMS rules.

Shock Wave Therapy Helps Bones Mend Broken long bones that aren't healing could be patched up by shock waves.

Swine Flu Resources Get helpful sites and dashboards to track the spread of the disease and access health information and services.

Freestanding Imaging Centers Slammed by CMS Ruling The announcement of the final rules by CMS, believed to slash imaging reimbursements by 16 percent, could result in mass closings of rural clinics, according to the American College of Radiology.

Analysts See Big Growth in Devices That Make Home Treatments Easier Needle-less, pain-free and home drug delivery devices to show growth in the parenteral market, according to analysts.

Researchers Check Suspicious Looking Mole (Rat) Pint-sized creature proves an interesting riddle.

FTC Extends Enforcement Deadline for Red Flags Rule Enforcement is scheduled to begin June 2010.

Rad Groups Recommend Keeping a Closer Eye on CT Scan Dosage Protocols After Cedars-Sinai Fiasco In the wake of accidental radiation overexposure of hundreds of patients at a Los Angeles hospital, two leading radiologists groups offer guidelines for making sure patients are getting safe scans.

Stereotactic Radiotherapy Halts Lung Cancer in Patients Too Sick for Surgery A recent study presented at this year's ASTRO annual meeting shows that stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can kill lung cancer tumors and keep them from recurring in medically frail patients ineligible for surgery.

DOTmed Certified Parts Vendor Program Gains Traction A new and better way for Biomedical Engineers to source parts.

Contrast material study
conducted at University of
Michigan Hospital

Allergic-Like Reactions to Iodinated Contrast Material Can Be Treated Safely

by Barbara Kram, Editor
Patients who have had acute allergic-like reactions to nonionic iodinated contrast material rarely develop any serious long-term problems and can be treated safely with commonly used medications according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor.

"While adverse reactions to iodinated contrast media are rare, they are encountered regularly by all physicians who administer contrast material to patients and some of these reactions will require treatment," said Richard Cohan, MD, lead author of the study. "We reviewed our experience to determine how often we encountered these reactions in our practice and how often the reactions required treatment. We also wanted to know what happened to those patients who required treatment, particularly when they had reactions that were moderate or severe," said Dr. Cohan.

The study consisted of 84,928 IV injections of nonionic iodinated contrast media in adults. In this group, there were 545 (0.6%) patients who had allergic-like reactions, with 221 receiving treatment. The most commonly administered medications were diphenhydramine to 145 (27%) reacting patients, corticosteroids to 17 patients, albuterol to 16 patients, ephinephine to 15 patients, and nitroglycerin to eight patients. According to the study, 99% of the allergic-like reactions resolved completely within 24 hours. This included all 418 patients who had mild reactions, all 116 patients who had moderate reactions, and nine of the 11 patients who had severe reactions.

"Commonly used medications can be administered safely; however, treatment errors are not uncommon and in a few instances can lead to patient morbidity," said Dr. Cohan. "In our study, we found a number of instances in which non-recommended treatment was provided. These cases included the administration of oxygen by nasal cannula (rather than mask) and at lower than recommended doses, over-utilization of diphenhydramine (including to a few patients who were hypotensive), and the administration of higher than recommended doses of epinephrine, as well as occasional confusion about which concentrations of epinephrine should be injected in which manner (subcutaneously or intravenously). In our study, the most striking example of patient morbidity from non-recommended treatment occurred in the two patients who received doses of 1 mg of epinephrine in the absence of cardiopulmonary arrest, who both had cardiac complications. Fortunately, these complications were mild and transient and caused no serious morbidity," he said.

"We hope that after reading our study, radiologists, nurses, and technologists will agree that they must review the algorithms for treating contrast reactions on a regular basis (particularly issues related to diphenhydramine, oxygen, and epinephrine administration)," said Dr. Cohan. "In fact, we would suggest that such a review should probably occur at least twice a year. However, it is also consoling to know that even when patients have moderate or severe contrast reactions, the vast majority recover promptly and without any long term complications," he said.

This study appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

About ARRS

The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the X-ray in 1895.

Interested in Medical Industry News? Subscribe to DOTmed's weekly news email and always be informed. Click here, it takes just 30 seconds.

Please Send us your Comments.

Printable Story
Access and use of this site is subject to the terms and conditions of our LEGAL NOTICE & PRIVACY NOTICE
Property of and Proprietary to DOTmed.com, Inc. Copyright ©2001-2009 DOTmed.com, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED