TOPLINE:

A four-question screening checklist administered before echocardiography identified all patients with confirmed polyethylene glycol (PEG) allergy, thereby enabling the selection of non‑PEG ultrasound-enhancing agents.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers sought to develop and prospectively validate a brief pre‑echocardiogram survey to identify patients who may need non‑PEG ultrasound-enhancing agents.
• They enrolled 58 participants between June 16, 2025, and July 3, 2025, including eight patients with confirmed PEG allergy and 50 patients scheduled for clinically indicated echocardiography, and administered the checklist to all participants.

TAKEAWAY:

• A positive response to question 1 alone had a sensitivity of 100.0%, specificity of 94.0%, positive predictive value of 72.7%, and negative predictive value of 100.0% for identifying PEG allergy.
• A positive response to at least two of the four questions had 100% sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for identifying PEG allergy.

IN PRACTICE:

“As PEG is present in two of three commercially available [ultrasound-enhancing agents] UEAs…or integrated into the microbubble shell…, use of this survey in the waiting room could be used to screen patients presenting for echocardiography or contrast-enhanced radiologic ultrasounds who benefit from a non-PEGylated agent.” the authors wrote. They added, “As UEAs remain underutilized in echocardiography, administration of this survey could help promote broader adoption and safe use of this vital technology.”

SOURCE:

Jordan B. Strom, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on December 29, 2025 in Echo Research & Practice.

LIMITATIONS:

No clinical information was acquired other than the survey responses, and as this was a pilot study, further prospective clinical validation is needed.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was partially supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Three authors reported receiving foundation support for this research, research grants, or consulting fees from or serving on several scientific advisory boards for various healthcare bodies and biopharmaceutical companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.