“We need to commit to changing the supply chain so that a single event in a faraway country does not put us in this predicament again," experts wrote in a new special report shared by Radiology.

The COVID lockdowns at the Shanghai plant began on March 31, and although the plant there has since resumed operations, they are not yet at 100% capacity.

With the shortage, which pertains specifically to all formulations and concentrations of GE Healthcare’s Omnipaque (iohexol), expected to last until mid-June, several organizations have alluded that conservation efforts are of critical importance.

All formulations and concentrations of GE Healthcare’s Omnipaque (iohexol) are expected to be in short supply until mid-June due to COVID lockdowns where the contrast is manufactured.

In a new study published in the AJR, pre-scan same day eGFR testing revealed that out of 10,256 patients who had these labs, only 1.4% displayed levels below the recommended cutoff.

The communication cited concerns of thyroid dysfunction in pediatric patients after administering the imaging agent. 

Use of such agents has diminished in recent years, but there is still a great need for oral contrast among oncology patients, experts report in AJR. 

Though adverse events after subcutaneous extravasation of contrast media during CT scans are not common, serious complications can occur, experts report in Academic Radiology.