Infusion system for short-lived radiopharmaceuticals

Abstract

A non-surgical method of delivering a liquid radioactive solution from a source to a recipient comprising the steps of: determining a desired recipient level of radioactivity and recipient volume of the radioactive solution to be delivered to the recipient, providing a first valve having a waste position and a recipient position, providing a bolus conduit, a waste conduit and a recipient conduit,each conduit having a valve end being connected to the first valve, so that the first valve can establish a waste flow path in the waste position and a recipient flow path in the recipient position, the recipient flow path being different from the waste flow path, the bolus conduit comprising a measuring section and an internal volume, the internal volume being approximately equal to the desired recipient volume of the radioactive solution to be delivered to the recipient, arranging the first valve in the waste position, transporting a first amount of the radioactive solution through the wasteflow path, the first amount of the radioactive solution having an initial level of radioactivity that is at least approximately equal to or higher than the desired recipient level of radioactivity and an initial volume that is larger than the internal volume of the bolus conduit, providing a radiation detector, the radiation detector being operable to measure a level of radioactivity of the radioactive solution in the measuring section, measuring a reference level of radioactivity of the radioactive solution present in the measuring section, wherein when the reference level of radioactivity is approximately equal to an injection level of radioactivity, the method further comprises the steps of: arranging the first valve in the recipient position, and transporting the radioactive solutionpresent in the bolus conduit through the recipient flow path.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates in a first aspect to a non-surgical method for delivering a liquid radioactive solution from a source to a recipient, in a second aspect to an infusion system for delivering a liquid radioactive solution from a source to a patient, and in a third aspect Involves a nonsurgical method for administering a liquid radioactive solution. Background technique [0002] Radioisotopes (also known as radionuclides) have several applications in medical therapy, imaging, and research. Different imaging / measurement techniques allow the imaging and measurement of physiological processes in the human body by emitting positrons, beta negative particles, high-energy gamma electrons or Auger electrons in close proximity to the nucleus. If injected intravenously, the radioisotope can further be used as a therapy against inappropriate cell death in the tumor field. [0003] for example 18 F. 11 C. 15 O. 14 O. 82 Rb and 13 Radioisotopes ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This approach is impractical because it is very expensive to discard radiopharmaceuticals due to the need to maintain a fixed volume, while at the same time the nature of most radiopharmaceuticals in clinical use today is to selectively bind to targets in vivo, or to participate in metabolic processes, or act as a non-interacting perfusion agent

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