by
Carol Ko, Staff Writer | April 30, 2013
From the April 2013 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
The molecular structure of the contrast is engineered for better chemical stability, preventing it from releasing toxic gadolinium ions into the kidneys. “In theory, this should have a higher safety profile in patients with kidney disease and make a rare occurrence even rarer, or even eliminate it outright,” says Finn.
In 2012, scientists at Stony Brook University developed a new grapheme-based MRI contrast agent that may one day altogether replace the gadolinium-based agents in use today. The notable advantage of this agent is that by not using gadolinium, kidney toxicity is drastically reduced.
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Integrating injectors
But contrast isn’t just advancing chemically — how it’s being injected into patients is changing as well. To aid hospitals transitioning to EHR systems, manufacturers are developing software that helps injectors seamlessly integrate with PACS and imaging equipment.
Such functionality makes Dr. Julia Fielding’s job as division chief of radiology at University of North Carolina much easier. “What I really want is the connectivity between the injector and the scan parameters themselves so that it’s one smooth function. Our goal is to have the fewest errors possible. If you only have to set up one thing one way it’s much less prone to error,” she says.
Fortunately for Fielding, the manufacturers are listening. Mallinckrodt’s (formerly Covidien) Optisync data management system, set to launch in September 2013, contains software that allows radiologists to use contrast media more efficiently by capturing patient pharmaceutical data, incorporating it into the RIS and reducing the chance for human error. “Optisync helps optimize efficiency in the imaging lab and aids with the ever-evolving electronic medical record movement,” says Chris Wagner, Mallinckrodt’s vice president of sales and marketing, imaging Americas.
Other similar software offerings include Philip’s SyncRight and Bayer’s Certegra Workstation, released in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
Bracco is committed to their contrast deliver systems. According to Kai Huang, Product Manager at Bracco, “We continue to focus on R&D projects which positively impact customer usability and enhance patient care with our injectors; EmpowerCTA and EmpowerMR. Our current EmpowerCTA and EmpowerMR injector systems have the ability to track the amount of contrast that is administered, as well as other injection parameters. Last year, we released several new features for our EmpowerCTA. Some of which included Saline Advance to test IV patency and Saline Jump that allows the technologist to jump from contrast phase directly to saline phase during a procedure. Additionally, Bracco is proud to offer the EmpowerMR, the world’s first hydraulic and battery free injector.
