by
Keith Loria, Reporter | July 15, 2010
Covidien Optivantage dual-head
CT contrast delivery system
This report originally appeared in the June 2010 issue of DOTmed Business News
Industry experts estimate the CT contrast delivery market in North America to be $300 million. Even though the numbers are impressive, they're not the whole story.
According to Bob Williams, vice president of business development for ACIST Medical Systems (a division of Bracco), sales for injectors were declining between the middle of 2008 to the end of last year, but buying patterns have reversed this year. OEMs such as ACIST, MEDRAD, Swiss Medical Care and Covidien continue to develop new products with advancements that help the contrast agent flow through patients more safely and efficiently.
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"It has been very difficult for us and the industry at large the last two years. Today, we see a market that is firming in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis," says Williams.. "While hospital and imaging center budgets remain tight, there appears to be a consolidated base forming from which we hope imaging modalities can once again resume a growth trajectory."
When it comes to the injector industry, people are talking about the move towards customized protocols, protocol references or patient-specific dosing.
"Significant advancements don't appear often. It's mostly changes in how the contrast agents are utilized by the systems to improve image quality from year to year," says Stephen Maull, owner of the Aurora, Ohio-based Maull Biomedical Training, LLC. "The thing about OEM enhancements on these injectors is that often times the 'enhancements' are not really well-received by the industry."
Around the industry
With the introduction of contrast injection protocols, radiologists are now able to achieve consistent imaging of delicate yet functionally important structures, such as coronary arteries and the pulmonary system.
MEDRAD has recently released its PACS injection-record integration capabilities with its Connect.PACS system, under the Certegra Informatics Platform, enabling the first radiology informatics capabilities of its kind.
Certegra products automate recordkeeping; integrate injection records into PACS; personalize contrast dosing (P3T); integrate CT scanner and injector operation (ISI); and enable remote equipment service.
