Reducing the cost of using contrast media: a look at discarded volumes

A study of the volume of radiopaque contrast media (ROM) discarded during angiographic procedures was conducted at one tertiary care teaching hospital to evaluate the potential cost savings from reducing that volume. Volumes of ROM used and discarded during 31 cerebral angiographic procedures and 16 percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasties (PTCAs) were analyzed. An average of 98 mL of ROM was discarded during cerebral angiography and 175 mL during PTCA. When low-osmolality contrast media (LOM) were used, the cost of discarded ROM was 15.8% of the technical charge for cerebral angiography and 21.5% for PTCA. If LOM were used, a savings of $11,000 per year could be achieved if 80-mL, rather than 100-mL, bottles were used for cerebral angiography and $35,000 per year if a single 300-mL bottle with inverted-Y tubing were used, rather than two 200-mL bottles currently employed for PTCA. Substantial savings could be realized by modifying technical procedures and by increasing the range of bottle sizes in which ROM are marketed.