Cardiovascular Business - October/November 2007 - (Page 19) › THE ENABLER in february, the Cia (Can in automation) industry group announced the release of Version 2.0 of the Cia 425 Can open device Profile for Contrast injectors allowing “plug-and-play” interoperability between contrast delivery systems, and Ct, Mr and ultrasound scanner. the next step is more advanced data integration between the injector and scanner. This is something I’ve always been hoping they’d come up with.” Reliability has continued to improve with the better image quality that comes with consistent contrast medium delivery. In addition to the steady improvements in image quality provided by automated injection, better and faster scanners are reducing the window between contrast injection and the start of imaging, driving the need for faster, more precise contrast injection timing. Software-driven injection is particularly key for time-critical CT angiography (CTA) procedures. In CT, injectors can manage the simultaneous injection of saline and contrast and help manage contrast attenuation to optimize visualization of the right and left heart. Injectors now provide multiphase protocols that allow consistent opacification of the heart without causing artifacts that make it difficult to read the coronary arteries. The Stellant Dual Flow system from Medrad delivers contrast in three phases: first a contrast bolus, then a mixture of contrast and saline, and finally, an injection of 100 percent saline. Adding the middle phase reduces the contrast attenuation, providing matching opacification on both the right and left sides. Robin Brothers, CT technologist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, uses Medrad’s CT interface device for Stellant CT Injection Systems (formerly known as iFlow) that, with the push of a button, starts both the scanner and the injector at the same time. Before the interface, one person had to be in the control room to start the scanner and someone else had to be in the room with the patient watching the IV. So, this helps improve throughput. Because multislice scanners capture images so quickly, having optimal contrast in the area of interest at the precise moment of the scan is critical and the interface helps improve the bolus timing necessary for coronary artery CTA imaging. Since a technologist can remain at the patient’s side to monitor the injection site while maintaining the ability to control both scanner and injector, he or she can quickly handle any patient safety issues. Communication: Injector to scanner Yesterday’s power injector, with the ability to initiate contrast injection and scanning with the same button, is becoming an interfacing and data communications device, too. In February, the CiA (CAN in Automation) industry group announced the release of Version 2.0 of the CiA 425 CANOpen Device Profile for Contrast Injectors allowing “plug-and-play” interoperability between contrast delivery systems, and CT, MR and ultrasound scanners. The next step is more advanced data integration between the injector and scanner. “It’s an exciting time for the manufacturers,” says Platt. They are working on a variety of approaches to customized contrast delivery protocols designed for specific clinical questions or patient characteristics. The CiA protocol for the injector/scanner interface is based on CAN (Controller Area Network), a serial, asynchronous communication protocol for connecting electronic control modules. It provides a more robust interface between the injector and scanner that can improve timing to keep pace with faster scanners for CT. Originally developed for automotive applications in the 1980s, the protocol supports applications that need high level data integrity and data rates up to 1 Mbits. Like TCP/IP for local area networks, CAN specifies a protocol for sending and receiving messages from the contrast injector to the image processing diagnostic device—such as CT, MR or ultrasound. Messaging is transparent to the user. Embedded as a serial bus system in microprocessors, CAN also provides error signaling, and re-transmission of erroneous frames, which provides increased data integrity for injector/scanner messaging. CAN provides a multi-master hierarchy, that allows manufacturers to provide redundant network nodes for devices on the CAN bus. All devices on the CAN bus receive the same message, which guarantees data integrity. First, the protocol supported the physical connection between the contrast injector and scanner, allowing users to initiate the injection and scan with a single button. This provided better image quality with more precise timing of the release of contrast and the start of scanning. The recent version supports the physical connection between injector and scanner plus support for easy connections to scanners for CT, MR, angiography and ultrasound open the way toward more sophisticated protocols and radiology informatics. The CiA device profile specification was jointly developed by imaging devices vendors GE Healthcare, Philips Medical Systems, Siemens Medical Solutions, and Toshiba America Medical Systems, CardiovascularBusiness.com Cardiovascular Business 19 http://www.CardiovascularBusiness.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.