Description
Breeza® flavored beverage for neutral abdominal/pelvic imaging was designed by a radiologist to overcome the disagreeable taste and texture patients experience in other commonly used distending agents. A lemon-lime flavored beverage, Breeza is preferred among enterography patients for its flavor and low viscosity
• Preferred by 21 of 23 members of Crohn’s Disease Focus Panel
• Improved drinking compliance among pediatric patients
• Reduced nasogastric intubations among enterography patients from 7% to 1%
How Taste, Texture and Tolerability Affect Enterography Prep
In small bowel imaging, distention is the name of the game
Unfortunately, in order to get the desired bowel distention for imaging, patients must ingest a large volume of fluid: usually 1350 – 1500ML, approximately 44 – 51 fluid ounces, within a 45 minute time-frame.
To complicate matters, many patients in enterography are instructed to drink a 1% barium sulfate suspension which has a viscosity of 80.5cP in order to distend the small bowel.
Viscosity is a measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. The higher the viscosity, the more resistant to flow a fluid will be. For comparison purposes, water, arguably the most drinkable fluid for humans, has a viscosity of .899cP. A fluid with a viscosity of 80.5cP has a viscosity closer to light-weight cooking oils – corn oil has a viscosity of 72cP, olive oil a viscosity of 84cP.
The higher the viscosity of a fluid, the harder it is for patients to drink the entire amount of fluid needed for their exam
Breeza flavored beverage for neutral abdominal imaging is a non-carbonated, sugar-free, gluten-free beverage with a light, refreshing lemon-lime flavor and a viscosity of 10.5cP which is slightly more viscous than water, providing a better “mouth feel” and palatability for patients.
Researchers representing the divisions of radiology, gastroenterology, and biostatistics at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, NY) performing an evaluation of patient tolerance, efficacy, and willingness to repeat the procedure found that Breeza flavored beverage for neutral/abdominal imaging scored significantly higher in taste, ease of drinking, and willingness to repeat the drinking protocol than the barium sulfate solution.
