Performance of single-use syringe versus multi-use MR contrast injectors: a prospective comparative study

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.

Figure 1

Timeline of study setup of phase 1 at both 1.5 and 3 T MR scanner.

Figure 2

Percentage of costs of disposables per contrast exam versus system SI. Cost of system SI normalised at 100%, using one set of tubing per exam. System MI uses one daily cassette, costing 297% compared tot system SI and one set of disposables per exam, costing 36%.