Must-Have Accessories for Cardiac CT Scanners

In a previous article, we discussed how facilities considering the purchase of a cardiac CT scanner can soften the blow of declining reimbursements with a refurbished system. Before we close that discussion in full, there are some accessories you'll need as well for accreditation.

Per guidelines set forth by the American College of Radiology, here is some other equipment that you will need to handle Cardiac CT:

1. For adequate contrast-enhanced cardiac CT, including CT coronary arteriography, a power injector capable of delivering a programmed volume of a contrast agent at a steady flow rate of at least 3 cc per second for delivery of ≥300 mg of iodine/ml is necessary. A dual chambered power injector is preferred if a saline flush will be administered immediately after the intravenous contrast material injection.
2. A workstation capable of creating straight or curved multiplanar reformations, maximum intensity projections, volume renderings that can be compared across multiple cardiac phases and 4D dynamic reconstructions should be available for coronary CTA and for other applications as appropriate.
3. Appropriate emergency equipment and medications must be immediately available to treat adverse reactions, an acute coronary syndrome, and cardiac arrest. The equipment and medications should be monitored for inventory and drug expiration dates on a regular basis. The equipment, medications, and other emergency support must also be appropriate for the range of ages and sizes in the patient population.

While we can’t help you acquire item 3 on this list, the good news is that items 1 and 2 are what we do on a daily basis. There's also good news in terms of pricing: both workstations and injectors are available used, which means that refurbished CT buyers can minimize the effects of declining reimbursements and still qualify for ACR accreditation by acquiring their entire cardiac set up on the secondary market.

Whether you're researching your first cardiac CT package or upgrading an existing CT for cardiac capabilities, we can help. Contact us for more details and pricing, or check out some of our free resources to keep learning.