ABSTRACT
Carbon dioxide has been used as an angiographic contrast medium for more than five
decades (1-6). The gas is well tolerated when injected intra-arterially or intravenously
in amounts up to 50 cc. CO2 has eliminated the risks of contrast induced renal failure
and hypersensitivity reactions. In a large number of procedures using CO2 as a contrast
agent, no episodes of renal failure or adverse effects of CO2 have been noted. CO2 is
often used as a preferred contrast agent in various angiographic and interventional
procedures because of its unique physical properties including low viscosity and buoy-
ancy. Medical grade CO2 USP should have a CO2 concentration of 99.5%. As the CO2 USP is marked on the CO2 tank provided, we do not identify the purity of the gas
before it is used for angiography.
