title: Study on the microbial safety of an infusion set for contrast-enhanced imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Multiple uses of automatic contrast injection systems may impose septic risks on patients. The purpose of this experiment was to verify whether a newly developed replaceable patient-delivery system may allow multiple uses of the system but without such risks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve patient-delivery systems were tested according to a multiple-use approach using an automatic contrast injection system consisting of dual syringes and one filling and injecting set. Two protocols with normal saline only (n = 6) or contrast media plus normal saline (n = 6) loaded in the injection system were performed. Each patient-delivery system was connected through an infusion catheter to the ear vein of a rabbit that was intravenously preinjected with a diffusible radiotracer (99m)Tc-dimercaptopropionyl-human serum albumin. Aliquots were sampled from the filling and injecting set, patient line, and animal blood for radioactive analysis after the replacement of each patient-delivery system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the protocol performed using only normal saline, radioactivity was found in the blood circulation of the rabbit (1655903 ± 593221 CPM) and in the patient line (52894 ± 33080 CPM), but, virtually, in none of samples from the filling and injecting set (8 ± 3 CPM), relative to the background (7 ± 3 CPM) (P = 0.726). Similarly, experimental results attained using contrast plus saline show radioactivity in the blood circulation of the rabbit (1119107 ± 183174 CPM) as well as in the patient line (32991 ± 20232 CPM) but in none of samples from the filling and injecting set (6 ± 6 CPM), relative to the background (6 ± 4 CPM) (P = 0.955).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tested patient-delivery system proves convenient and safe. It allows multiple uses of the contrast injection system and avoids the risk of cross contamination.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Section, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Biomedical Sciences Group, University of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marlein Miranda
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Cona
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauwens
authors.forename: Yichao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Coudyzer
authors.forename: Junjie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuanbo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Huaijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Alfons
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verbruggen
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oyen
authors.forename: Yicheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D017743:Equipment Reuse; D007260:Infusion Pumps / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media