"This new feature enlarges our injector's programming capabilities to adapt contrast media injection protocols to the latest clinical needs," says Herve Duffour, marketing and sales director for the company. "The programming flexibility opens a new era in contrast injection."

Refurbished Models on the Rise


It's no surprise that people are looking to save money and have looked to the used and refurbished markets when it comes to injector systems. While a new system can run upwards of $50,000-$60,000, a refurbished model can be sold for about 60% to 70% of retail price.

Jeff Mangione, president of Precise Biomedical Inc., describes the refurbishment process as follows: "We dismantle the injectors, clean them inside and out looking for anything questionable. Noisy motors are replaced and all rubber goods and gaskets that seal the injector to keep it contrast free are replaced. All movable parts receive lubrication. Circuit boards are [looked at], but we use the original ones if they give us no reason to replace them."

Miles says that each manufacturer has something unique to offer and the customer usually has a preference as to what refurbished model they are looking for.

"I have a good supply of injectors in stock at most times. There is more demand for the dual heads, so they are a little more difficult to obtain," says Miles. "The servicing issues of proprietary software in some cases limit some of the abilities of the third party."

Proprietary software is less of an issue in some cases. Some of the OEMs are getting into the refurbishment business providing refurbished injectors into the marketplace to meet the demand.

"It's one of the biggest adjustments we have made this year," says MEDRAD's Farrell. "When we trade in pieces of equipment, we bring them back in-house, refurbish them and sell them back to the market place. Initially, this was a response for some of our international locations where they were looking for a more affordable option and maybe a little smaller offering on the technology front. There was a market here for people doing bread and butter work who might not need the latest and greatest so we were able to introduce a value market."

The Place to Train

While problems in contrast injectors aren't that troublesome, being factory trained in contrast media injector servicing can help a biomed department become an indispensable asset to a hospital.

That's why Stephen Maull decided to open Maull Biomedical Training, LLC, a business dedicated to training people on how to service, calibrate and PM injectors.

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