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Contrast Reaction Card Can Help Improve Management of Contrast-Related Adverse Events

The ACR contrast reaction card summarizes important steps to be taken when managing an acute reaction to contrast material. Offered as an addition to the ACR Manual on Contrast Media, the card outlines multiple common and serious contrast reactions. The free resource also includes details on premedication and extravasations.

"Managing contrast reactions is a necessary, important, and stressful part of a radiologist's job. In the heat of the moment, it can be difficult to remember critical details like the dose of epinephrine. This card can help improve that process," says Matthew Davenport, MD, chair of the ACR's Committee on Drugs and Contrast Media.

The card is about the size of a driver's license. To use in your practice, simply do the following:

• print the cards;
• enter the phone number your health system uses to activate a "CODE BLUE"; and
• distribute the cards.

"Of course, no reference card can be a substitute for the sound judgment and expertise of a licensed physician," Davenport says. "However, we hope these cards will be a valuable asset in any radiology practice."

The Contrast Reaction Card is now available for download in both landscape and portrait formats.