Juniper Publishers Journal of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Therapy

JUNIPER PUBLISHERS - OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY & CARDIOVASCULAR THERAPY Introduction Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) was first introduced as a non- vascular contrast agent in the 1920s when retroperitoneal pneumatography was used to visualise the kidneys and adrenal masses. While Paul Rosentein employed oxygen (O 2 ) as a contrast agent, it was Humberto Horacio Carelli who propagated the use of CO 2 , which he perceived to be absorbed faster than O 2 , thus conferring a lower risk of air emboli [ 1 ]. Thirty to forty years on, the use of CO 2 expanded into the realm of the cardiovascular system, firstly to evaluate for pericardial effusion then subsequently for veno cavography [ 2 ]. A decade later through a stroke of serendipity, Irvin Hawkins discovered that CO 2 can also be safely applied in arteriography [ 3 ]. With the advent of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and better delivery systems in the 1980s, the use of CO 2 as a contrast agent continued to make headway ...