Abstract
The goal of this study was to compare performance parameters of a single-use syringe and a multi-use MR contrast injector. We compared preparation time, cost for disposables and volumes of contrast material used for a single-use (SI) and a multi-use (MI) MR contrast injector in a prospective cross-over trial. During the first study period all consecutive patients eligible for dynamic MR on two systems were included during a period of 20 working days. After 10 days, the injector was switched. Radiographer satisfaction was evaluated using a questionnaire. Contrast usage and waste on system MI was optimised by extra instructions for our radiographers and measured during the second study period of 10 consecutive working days. A total of 202 and 163 patients for systems SI and MI were included, respectively. Average preparation time was 4:55 min for SI and 2:24 min for MI (p < 0.05). Contrast waste for SI was 13% using 7.5 ml syringes. Contrast waste for MI was 5% for 7.5 ml containers. Costs for disposables were lower for MI if more than 5 patients per day were injected. Radiographer satisfaction was higher for MI (4.7 versus 2.8 on a 5-point scale; p < 0.05). The multi-use MR contrast injector led to higher radiographer satisfaction, shorter preparation time, and lower cost if more than 5 patients were injected per day. In addition, cheaper contrast containers of 15 or 30 ml could be used for the first patients if more than 2 or more than 4 injections are performed per day, potentially leading to lower contrast waste.
Highlights
Contrast enhanced (CE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been shown to contribute between 30% and 45% of MR examination volume in clinical practice[1]
There were no statistically significant differences between the numbers of scanned patients and amount of contrast that was used per patient
Our study identified the advantages of using a multi-use MR contrast versus a single use contrast injector during CE MR exams scans
Summary
Contrast enhanced (CE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been shown to contribute between 30% and 45% of MR examination volume in clinical practice[1]. Shortening or reducing any of the steps associated with CM administration may influence operational efficiency[3,4,5] Since their introduction, gadolinium based contrast agents are injected by a fixed dose, rather than a fixed volume[6]. When using a pre-filled syringe, only a fixed injected volume can be used - the contents of the syringe - and the excess has to be disposed of at the end of each exam This results in a variable amount of waste. These injectors offer the option to use larger bottles instead of syringes, injecting multiple patients form the same bottle. This could potentially give less waste and preserving the option of individual dosing. The purpose of our prospective comparative study was to compare a novel multi-use MR contrast injector, compared to a single-use injector to standard syringe-base single-use injector in terms of efficiency, radiographer satisfaction, and costs of disposables
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