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18 March 2010

Answer to Question #2847 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Medical and Dental Patient Issues — Diagnostic X Ray and CT

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

I am at the front end of a device-development project. The device will be a small (1/2" x 2" x 1/4") hydrogel sealing component that is placed between a patient's ventilation face mask and his face and performs as a sealing mechanism for a nasal or oral tube passage. The hydrogel is a translucent material made up of primarily glycerin and water. Our customers have requested that we manufacture it such that it can be seen in x-ray images in case the patient swallows it or, even worse, inhales it. The hydrogel itself is nontoxic and has had many biomaterial evaluations. Can you suggest some radio-opaque substances that might be appropriately used in a situation like this?

A common contrast agent is barium sulfate. It is used for fluoroscopy tests to evaluate patient swallowing and other studies of the digestive tract.

John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist

Answer posted on 18 August 2003. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.