A Health System's Response to the Ongoing Global Shortage of Iodinated Contrast Media

Optimizing the Use of Iodinated Contrast Media for CT: Managing Shortages and Planning for a Sustainable and Secure Supply

“…In addition to the strategies proposed by the previously stated agencies, clinicians at hospital systems globally have described their experiences and plans for managing ICM shortages, including those reported by institutions in Australia, 4,20,31,32 Germany, 33 and the US. 1,5,7,16,17,19,[34][35][36][37][38]…”

“…16 The GE Healthcare factory closure resulted in a sudden, unanticipated shortage of ICM globally as other manufacturers were unable to rapidly scale up production to meet the demand. 5,13,[16][17][18][19][20][21] Shortages of ICM products were reported by the US FDA in May 2022. 22 In June 2022, iodixanol injection and iohexol injection were added to Health Canada's list of tier 3 drug shortages 23 : Tier 3 drug shortages are those likely to have the greatest potential impact on the health care system.…”

“…1,4,[7][8][9]13,16,19,21,[24][25][26][27]33,[38][39][40][41] If possible, alternative brands of contrast agents from other vendors could be purchased in some instances to help mitigate ICM shortages. 13,17,25,33 Examples of alternate contrast agents may include oral contrast (such as barium sulphate or diatrizoate meglumine and diatrizoate sodium [Gastrografin, Cystografin, Sinografin]) or, if appropriate, carbon dioxide angiography for peripheral artery disease, MRI with gadolinium contrast, or ethiodized oil (Lipiodol, Guerbet). 5,9,13,14,16, 19,21,25,38,42 Procedures may be stratified based on risk to determine which may be safely deferred until normal ICM supplies resume (for example, routine follow-up exams).…”

Metrics-driven successful strategy by emergency and radiology driven task force to mitigate global CT contrast media shortage in a safety net hospital

“…In the 2 nd week of June, the best practice alerts were removed to encourage providers to resume standard ordering patterns of contrast studies. [11,12,24] CONCLUSION e global shortage of ICM has led to disruption in imaging operations, and the institutions are undertaking mitigation strategies without compromising on clinical excellence. We achieved an 80% reduction in contrast usage by adopting a comprehensive approach driven by process and quality metrics.…”

“…In the 2 nd week of June, the best practice alerts were removed to encourage providers to resume standard ordering patterns of contrast studies. [ 11 , 12 , 24 ]…”