99mTc-Red Blood Cell is a radiopharmaceutical reagent that is used in nuclear medicine imaging procedures. It involves labeling the patient’s own red blood cells with the radioactive isotope technetium-99m (99mTc) before reinjecting them back into the bloodstream. This allows for the visualization and assessment of blood flow and circulation within the cardiovascular system.
The labeled red blood cells travel through the bloodstream and can be detected using a gamma camera during a procedure known as angiocardioscintigraphy. This imaging technique is commonly used to evaluate various aspects of cardiac function, including ejection fraction, cardiac wall motion, and myocardial contractility.
By tracking the movement and distribution of the labeled red blood cells, healthcare providers can gather valuable information about the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. This information can help in the diagnosis and management of various cardiovascular conditions, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, and myocardial infarction.
Overall, 99mTc-Red Blood Cell imaging plays a crucial role in the assessment of cardiac function and can provide valuable insights into the overall health of the cardiovascular system.
Description
This product, as a kit, is simply a reagent allowing labeling red blood cells with 99mTc before reinjecting the combination in the blood flow. Products labeling blood cells are not specific, so a separation of the sub-types of cells is required before labeling and re- injection.
Clinical applications
The product is indicated for in vivo, in vitro and in vivo/in vitro red blood cell labeling for blood pool scintigraphy. It is used in angiocardioscintigraphy for the evaluation of ejection fraction, cardiac wall motion evaluation, and the analysis of myocardial contractility. It can also be used for organ perfusion imaging, gastrointestinal bleeding diagnosis or spleen scintigraphy.
Samples of patient blood are combined with the different products of the cold kits and labeled with 99mTc before being reinjected in the patient.
Availability
Products specific for the radiolabeling of red blood cells are sold under the names Ultratag® RBC (Mallinckrodt; marketed since 1991) or Sn++ (Pars Isotope).
Competition
Products like Ultratag are simplifying the work of the radiopharmacists. The content of the kit is a simple chemistry tool allowing this labeling, without any additional active ingredient. The reagents contained in these kits are the standard chemicals available in any radiopharmacy, but the kits assure quality and reproducibility.
Comments
The procedure of radiolabeling of human cells (red blood cells, leukocytes) is a standard procedure that does not involve any active ingredient. The procedure is a simple way to show how cells are distributed in the body, but as such is not a drug interacting with the body biology. The procedure and the ingredients contained in the kit, in fact reagents, have to be considered as drugs and as such need a MA.