Question

3 A 68-year-old woman has arrived for a scheduled abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan in the radiology department where you work as a tech. A part of the process of preparing the patient for the scan is to have her ingest a contrast agent in the form of a drink sort of a pharmaceutical milkshake. She has had CT scans before and has consumed contrast, but she is convinced that since that last CT she has developed an allergy to the agent. She is terrified of the drink. She has no rational reason for believing she suddenly has an allergy, and she should drink the solution as soon as possible if she is to have her scheduled scan in 30 minutes. What would be the appropriate way to speak to this patient about the prospect of drinking the contrast? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

I would be really patient and understanding with the person and tell her the importance of the contrast dye for this procedure that is Contrast materials help distinguish or "contrast" selected areas of the body from surrounding tissue. By improving the visibility of specific organs, blood vessels or tissues, contrast materials help physicians diagnose medical conditions. Without the drink it would be very difficult . Taking into consireation that her previous several ct procedures went normal, its just a mattter of overthinking that she feels that the dye is harmful for her some way.

I would make her realize that the side effects of contrast include :

• nausea and vomiting.
• headache.
• itching.
• flushing.
• mild skin rash or hives.

Having said that, It's completely normal to have any one of the above symptoms and she doesn't have to fear. So I would give the patient to think over what a said a little while and check if she changed her mind. Being forceful can be daunting sometimes,So giving her space is the right thing to do in situations like these.