Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Sales of new PET scanners slumped at a double-digit rate in 2008, according to data from a new research study that we're highlighting in our Molecular Imaging Digital Community this week.
The decline parallels the slump in equipment purchasing that has affected all advanced imaging modalities, according to the study by market research firm Bio-Tech Systems of Las Vegas. But PET vendors see signs for optimism in coming years, as procedure volume is still growing and PET reimbursement levels remain strong. Read more by clicking here.
In other news in the community, click here to read about a new brain SPECT radiopharmaceutical that was recommended for approval by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee this week.
AFIP housing woes
In other news, reports have surfaced of radiology residents encountering problems with housing at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology's (AFIP) Radiologic Pathology Course in Washington, DC. One landlord offering temporary housing has been kicked off the official housing list following complaints from several AFIP attendees.
The attendees say that upon arriving in Washington, DC, the accommodations they were offered weren't what they had reserved. And what's worse, several claim that they didn't received refunds on their deposits after refusing the substitute rooms. Read more by clicking here -- and let any colleagues know about the situation if they're planning to attend a future AFIP course.
Infection control in portable x-ray
Finally, we once again address the sticky topic of infection control in radiology in our Digital X-Ray Community. Israeli researchers performed a study of infection control practices among radiologic technologists who were operating portable radiography studies, and their results might surprise you.
They found that portable x-ray units had high levels of contamination with bacteria (even the nasty drug-resistant type) and few technologists exhibited proper infection control procedures. Things got better after an intervention and education period, but at follow-up the researchers found that contamination levels had returned to prestudy levels.
Learn more by clicking here, or visit the Digital X-Ray Community at xray.auntminnie.com.
