What is contrast extravasation and how often does it occur?

Contrast extravasation occurs when contrast is injected into a vein but goes outside of the vein into the adjacent soft tissues. In most cases this is a mild inconvenience to the patient especially when only a few cc are involved. With larger extravasations (75-100 cc) problems can occur. Contrast Extravasation Contrast Extravasation into the Arm

The patient is allergic to shellfish or crabs. Can they get a IV contrast?

The reaction to shellfish and crabs is different than the issues of IV contrast. Therefore if your allergy is solely to crabs, shrimp, or lobster you don’t need to worry about getting IV contrast. For the rest of my recommendation-just don’t eat shellfish (perhaps G-d was right)

Our patient needs the study now. What else can we do?

Intravenous hydrocortisone at 200 mg can be used but the ACR recommends at least a 6 hours before doing the study.

premedicate these patients are allergic to IV contrast

Part 1: What patients are allergic to IV contrast? Part 2: Can we premedicate these patients and if yes what is our premedication protocol?

What if a patient is allergic to IV contrast material?

Since non-ionic contrast has been widely utilized, the incidence of allergic reactions has decreased. However, some patients may still be allergic to IV contrast agents.

s it possible for a patient to get a delayed reaction to IV contrast?

Yes. Delayed reactions occur from more than 30-60 minutes post injection to 1 week post injection. The majority occur between 6 and 12 hours.

Allergic Reactions

1. Part 1: Can a patient get a rash from IV contrast? Can it occur 24-36 hours post CT study? Part 2: How do you treat the rash?