Ultrasound contrast agents: balancing safety versus efficacy

“Product Safety” Compromises Patient Safety (an Unjustified Black Box Warning on Ultrasound Contrast Agents by the Food and Drug Administration)††Dr. Grayburn has received past research grant support for studying the ultrasound contrast agents mentioned in this editorial.

(2008) Paul A. Grayburn   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY

Safety of Ultrasound Contrast Agents in Stress Echocardiography

(2008) Ruvin S. Gabriel et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY

Safety of Contrast Administration for Endocardial Enhancement During Stress Echocardiography Compared With Noncontrast Stress

(2008) Kamran Shaikh et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY

Acute Mortality in Hospitalized Patients Undergoing Echocardiography With and Without an Ultrasound Contrast Agent (Multicenter Registry Results in 4,300,966 Consecutive Patients)

(2008) Michael L. Main et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY

Incidence of Adverse Events Associated With Use of Perflutren Contrast Agents for Echocardiography

(2008) Charles A. Herzog   JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Acute Mortality in Hospitalized Patients Undergoing Echocardiography With and Without an Ultrasound Contrast Agent

(2008) Lisa L. Kusnetzky et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY

Safety and Efficacy of Commercially Available Ultrasound Contrast Agents for Rest and Stress Echocardiography

(2008) Melda S. Dolan et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY

The Safety of Definity and Optison for Ultrasound Image Enhancement: A Retrospective Analysis of 78,383 Administered Contrast Doses

(2008) Kevin Wei et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

American Society of Echocardiography Consensus Statement on the Clinical Applications of Ultrasonic Contrast Agents in Echocardiography

(2008) Sharon L. Mulvagh et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

Contrast Echocardiography: Past, Present, and . . . Future?

(2008) Pamela S. Douglas et al.   JACC-Cardiovascular Imaging