Preventing Inadvertent Foreign Body Injection in Angiography.

Background Inadvertent injection of foreign material during angiography, particularly neuroangiography, should be avoided to reduce the risk of embolic complications. Woven gauze and cotton fabrics have been identified as sources of inadvertent foreign body embolization. Purpose To find the source of particles that contaminate injections on an angiography table and to identify measures for their reduction. Materials and Methods The number and size of particles on an angiographic supply table at a tertiary stroke center were analyzed by using the Coulter principle in September 2019. Seven conditions (saline directly drawn from its bag, from a small metal cup, from a small plastic cup, from a large plastic bowl, from a large plastic bowl with a guidewire and its sheath, from a large plastic bowl with a stack of woven gauze, and from a large plastic bowl with a large cotton towel) were tested at different time intervals (0, 30, and 60 minutes). Each container was filled with saline, and particle count was analyzed immediately after unpackaging, after rinsing with saline, and after introduction of foreign material;