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Personalized patient injection protocols are showing promise, according to a recent University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) study(1) which documented that contrast injection protocols personalized to patient-specific parameters of its test group resulted in a higher percentage of exams that could be classified as "diagnostic, without limitations" to rule out pulmonary embolism than resulted from non-personalized standard injection protocols.(2) A diagnostic exam without limitations is the type that is most desired by radiologists. The personalized patient protocols provided better contrast enhancement of the pulmonary arteries in the study group as well.(2) Researchers presented the study results in a scientific poster at a meeting of the Society of Thoracic Radiology earlier this year. Copies of the study will be available at MEDRAD's booth at the RSNA 2008 exhibition in Chicago, November 30 through December 5.
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Joan Lacomis, radiologist at UPMC and co-author of the UPMC study, said, "Achieving a diagnostic CT image for pulmonary embolism, without limitations, helps the hospital and emergency department in a number of important ways -- with efficiency, patient care, and cost savings. Achieving high quality images for a higher percentage of studies multiplies these benefits and our research indicates that personalizing the contrast injection protocol to patient-specific parameters is a promising approach."
Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is a sudden blood clot or blockage in a lung artery and is a serious condition. At least 100,000 cases of PE occur each year in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. PE is the third most common cause of death in hospitalized patients, and if left untreated, kills about 30 percent of patients who have it. Most of those who die do so within the first few hours of the event. CT imaging is often used in the emergency department setting to quickly identify the presence of life-threatening disorders like PE, making efficiency important in quickly and accurately diagnosing the condition. CT has a high specificity and sensitivity in ruling out PE, and researchers in a 2005 meta-analysis (JAMA 2005; 293:2012-17) found that the negative predictive value of a CT angiography of the pulmonary arteries was 99.4%.
MEDRAD, Inc. is a worldwide leading provider of medical devices and services that enable and enhance imaging and therapeutic procedures of the human body. For diagnostic imaging, MEDRAD's product offerings include a comprehensive line of vascular injection systems, magnetic resonance (MR) surface coils and patient care products, and equipment services. The company also offers products used in vascular intervention. MEDRAD's total 2007 revenues were $525 million. In 2003, MEDRAD received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the top honor a U.S. company can receive for quality and business excellence. The company's world headquarters is near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. MEDRAD is an affiliate of Bayer AG. More company information is available at http://www.medrad.com.
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of healthcare, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at http://www.bayerhealthcare.com.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements.
Certain statements in this press release that are neither reported financial results nor other historical information are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be affected by other factors that could cause actual results and MEDRAD's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. MEDRAD, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information or future events or circumstances or otherwise.
(1) Lacomis, J; et al. "A Clinical Evaluation of the MEDRAD SmartFlow Power Injector Software System for Contrast Delivery in Patients Suspected of Pulmonary Embolism Undergoing Chest CTA". Society of Thoracic Radiology. http://www.thoracicrad.org/meetings/str2008/Syllabus/additional/posters.pdf. March 2008.
(2) P3T Cardiac indicated for CT Pulmonary Angiography is pending FDA clearance [510(k) pending].
SOURCE MEDRAD, Inc.
