The P3T injection protocol software facilitates precise coordination of contrast injection and scanning. Such protocols also make it easy to tailor, or optimize, contrast dose according to patient size.

"Demand to deliver improved clinical outcomes while realizing greater cost efficiencies and workflow productivity has never been greater for health care providers," says Anthony Cinalli, executive director, MEDRAD Radiology. "We're harnessing the power of informatics to help health care professionals meet these needs in ways that, until now, have been largely untapped."





Clinical records integration offers built-in workflow efficiencies and productivity potential. Without it, radiologists have to either track down the technologist who performed a study or go to the scanner directly to get the information they need.

"MEDRAD has clearly created some buzz with the patient specific dosing, but I think the school is still out on what exactly that will be," says ACIST's Williams. "We have taken a little bit of a different approach. We put an online protocol reference on our system."

ACIST believes the market will continue to seek products that improve clinical efficiencies and quality as the industry transitions into health care reform.

"We continue to see high levels of market interest in variable flow rate angiographic injection technology," Williams says. "In the diagnostic imaging space, CT and MR, we see the market put a premium on ease of use, service, cost of operation and integrated solutions."

Before this, the biggest advancement in injectors that had come along in the last five years was the two-headed contrast injection technology called dual-head injectors. One head still injects the contrast medium while a second injects a saline pre-flush that opens veins so much less contrast dye is used.


Challenges exist
No one is quite sure how or if the recent health reform legislation will cause any drastic changes to the injector business, but for the most part, the companies DOTmed News spoke with aren't too concerned.

"We see the market placing priority on improved efficiencies within current clinical capability versus more forward-looking clinical solutions, which may or may not benefit the patient," Williams says. "The industry is now confronted with significantly more clinical and regulatory burdens in the development phase prior to marketing a new clinical solution."

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