At this week's Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) meeting, Philips Healthcare is highlighting its work in making FDG-PET exams more patient-friendly through the design of a special room in which patients can wait during the radiopharmaceutical uptake period.
Patients scheduled for PET exams are first injected with FDG intravenously and then must wait for 45 to 60 minutes as their bodies take up the radiopharmaceutical before scanning can begin. Most imaging facilities put little thought into the environment in which patients are required to wait during this uptake period, however, often resorting to whatever extra space in the department is available.
The problem is that patients who are receiving PET scans typically have serious health conditions and are often anxious before their studies. This stress can result in elevated body functions, which can lead to FDG uptake in regions outside of pathology.
To address this situation, Philips has developed a specially designed room with dynamic ambient lighting to keep patients calm and relaxed during their FDG uptake periods. The offering is in line with the Ambient Experience that the company has offered in other modalities, such as a preparation and recovery bay for patients to recover after surgical procedures.
Philips demonstrated the new FDG uptake room with a virtual demonstration in its booth at SNMMI 2019.
