An improved 191Os-191mIr generator for radionuclide angiocardiography

191mIr is a useful tracer for radionuclide angiocardiography and may be of particular value in the evaluation of heart disease in children. It has a short half-life, a suitable photon energy, and may be obtained as a generator product by decay of its long-lived parent 191Os. A 191Os-191mIr generator capable of providing at least 18 mCi of 191mIr in 1.5 ml of eluant is described. 191mIr is separated from 191Os by absorbing 191OsCl6(-2) on an ion exchange resin and eluting with a solution of 8.7% NaCl at a pH of 2.2. The generator employs an additional resin column which is replaced to minimize 191Os breakthrough.