Combining the increase in PET imaging patient activity and radiation protection of staff: the example of Esbjerg hospital in Denmark

At the time, the Nuclear Medicine department of Esbjerg Hospital already had an automatic injector. However, because of the expanded PET scanning capabilities, a second injector was needed and the department decided to research the market for the best-suited automatic injector. 

For the acquisition of their new automatic injector, the Nuclear Medicine department of Esbjerg Hospital was moving towards a first choice. When the department’s physicist, Thomas Quist, went to an international congress and saw a demonstration of an autonomous unit for the fractionation and injection of high-energy radiopharmaceuticals: the Posijet®.

Indeed, already proven in the neighbouring Nordic countries of Norway and Finland, the Posijet® was at the time not established in Denmark. Thomas Quist and Signe Reinholdt Sørensen, the department’s medical laboratory scientist, then decided to go first to Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, to see the use of another injector and afterwards to Bergen, Norway, to see the Posijet® in action for themselves. Two field visits and real user testimonials made the difference for Thomas Quist and Signe Reinholdt Sørensen. Among their observations: the reliability of the Posijet® in terms of diluting radiopharmaceuticals – thanks to possible checks of the mother solution without wasting a large portion of the very expensive radiotracer – and radiation exposure that would entail along with ease of use for PET workflow. Their final choice was made, it was to be the Posijet®.