Trends in the CT Injector Market

In a recent article published on TechNation concerning trends in the CT injector market, biomed experts Nick Hersman, Strategic Marketing Product Manager for Bayer HealthCare Services and Stephen Maull, President of Maull Biomedical, give their advice on everything from navigating an evolving market to managing maintenance of an evolving technology.

Below you will find some of their responses to big questions involving the CT injector market:

What are the biggest trends right now in the CT injector market?

According to Hersman, "The market as a whole is moving toward technological advancements focused on informatics, record keeping, radiation dosage, remote access and more personalization for the patient."

Hersman believes the "evidence of this trend is the capability that now exists for the remote service of injectors—a significant technological advancement that maximizes uptime and improves department workflow. You can request service with the touch of a button and download software updates nearly immediately. There is what I would call an 'efficiency evolution' happening with the push toward cloudbased technology that enables service."

How will the market for CT injectors evolve in the next five years? How will that affect service of the equipment?

Hersman believes that "Over the next five years, we’ll see injectors evolve to become more software-driven and interconnected with other devices and data management systems. Those who are responsible for service of devices will need to keep up with this evolution by continuing to educate themselves on the latest technologies. Working with the original equipment manufacturer to gain necessary training and service know-how is an effective way to increase knowledge and keep up with the industry’s ever-changing demands."

Maul has a similar opinion that injectors will continue to evolve stating that "Already the injectors are getting smarter. They are tracking patient radiation dose and contrast dose in an effort to maximize image quality with minimal radiation to the patient. The amount of patient information that the injectors incorporate into a patient’s EMR or the CT Images PACS will only increase over the next decade."  However, Maul believes that the service for injectors will remain mostly the same.  Maul states "the biomed will still have to check flow rates, volumes, pressures and clean the systems on an annual basis, and the method of doing that remains largely unchanged."

What are some of the biggest challenges of purchasing and maintaining CT injectors today?

Many health care providers are facing cost constraints as a result of the current economic environment. Hersman states that "financing pressures coupled with the need to now collect more clinical data creates a considerable challenge for providers" and that "such challenges emphasize the importance of ensuring that providers obtain maximum value from their equipment."

On the other side of the spectrum, Maul believes that one of the biggest challenges to maintaining a CT injector is managing "user abuse". To be more specific Maul goes on to state that "The operators often move the injector around by the cable coming out of the injector head.  The operators think of it as a HANDLE. For this reason, head cables on injectors are one of the most commonly replaced items."

What do you think? What are the biggest trends in the CT injector market?

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