MEDRAD® Centargo CT Injection System in Clinical Evaluation

Background

An efficient workflow of contrast injection should minimize time spent on injector handling and disposable replacement.

MEDRAD® Centargo is designed to further optimize radiology workflow and increase efficiency. It provides

• an additional, third fluid reservoir
• simplified exchange of disposables during patient changeover
• automatic priming and refilling functions

Corey A. Kemper, Bayer USA, and colleagues at Maastricht University in the Netherlands investigated how the optimized MEDRAD® Centargo performs in everyday clinical practice.

Conclusion

• The improved MEDRAD® Centargo is significantly more time-efficient compared to its technical predecessor MEDRAD® Stellant.
• The radiographers rated the usability of both injection systems as "easy" or "very easy".

Value Proposition

With its improved technology and automated features, MEDRAD® Centargo makes contrast delivery more efficient*. Radiographers report higher user satisfaction regarding patient changeover.

Patients and Methods

Kemper et al. conducted the study at two different clinical sites with two observation phases in a total of 425 patients:

Randomized Efficiency Study (Medscan Merrylands in Sydney, Australia)

• 100 patients with MEDRAD® Centargo, 98 with MEDRAD® Stellant
• Time recording with stopwatch:
  • a) Morning: injector installation
  • b) Preparation for patient changeover
  • c) Evening: Uninstall injector

Prospective Observational Reliability Study (Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands)

• 227 patients with MEDRAD® Centargo
• Documentation of injection parameters

The contrast medium used in Australia was Iohexol 350 mg I/mL in 200 mL vials and in Maastricht Ultravist® (iopromide) 300 mg I/mL in 500 mL vials.

The radiographers answered a questionnaire with 14 questions about user satisfaction with the two systems.

Results

Efficiency

The results show excellent time efficiency regarding patient changeover for the new MEDRAD® Centargo compared to MEDRAD® Stellant:

• MEDRAD® Centargo saved 40-63% of patient changeover time.
• Time per patient was 15.4s ± 8.7s (MEDRAD® Centargo) vs 53.7s ± 19.6s (MEDRAD® Stellant).
• The higher efficiency was linked to higher patient throughput and the use of larger contrast agent bottles.

Installation time for both CT injection systems was comparable, ranging from 2.3 to 2.5 minutes; however, MEDRAD® Centargo uninstallation took significantly longer: 60.6s ± 27s vs 17.1s ± 12.9s.

Reliability

All injection protocols ran as planned and incident-free on the MEDRAD® Centargo. No interruptions occurred due to loss of communication, system errors, or air in the tubing. Injector performance never negatively affected image quality.

Ease of use

The radiographers rated either injection systems as “very easy” or "easy" to use. For MEDRAD® Centargo, they report higher user satisfaction with the ease in patient changeover.