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It’s used in 1CT scans, the 2dye that helps 3reveal when there’s a problem.

“In my world this is a brain scan without dye. Now, take a look at what happens when you 4inject dye into the bloodstream. That area in the upper right corner that’s a big white mass… 5turns out to be a type of 6brain tumor known as a 7meningioma. May have been hard to see otherwise.”

It’s called IV contrast and can be injected into a patient’s bloodstream to 8highlight different structures. But there’s a shortage of the liquid and it’s leading to hospital 9rationing and patient 10backlogs.

“Thousands of patients whose, whose scans are probably delayed as a result of this. They’ll get their scans ultimately, but delayed... months, you know, that can mean a big difference.”

A hospital association estimates around half of hospitals in this country get contrast dye from GE healthcare’s plant in Shanghai to perform about 20 million scans a year. However, that facility was forced to close during the city’s two-month zero-COVID 11lockdown while the facility is now getting production back up to speed. It may be weeks before that supply reaches hospitals.

“It’s going to create a, a pressure on the healthcare system to 12diversify these supply chains.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the supply is expected to continue increasing through June, with a return to stocking levels in July 2022.