I have a ct w/ contrast later today. i'm nervous because i read a serious side effect of the contrast is cardiac arrest. should i refuse the contrast?

Contrast okay: 24 year old woman with concern over contrast for CT study. You should be more at ease with the contrast for this study. Serious side effects are rare with contrast dye. If the CT scan with contrast is needed to get an accurate diagnosis the benefits will outweigh the risks which are rare with contrast dye if you have good kidney function. If you take metformin for diabetes it may need to be held.

Not to worry: You are more likely to get in a car wreck on the way to the CT than have a fatal reaction to the dye. For actual stats see: http://pubs.rsna.org/doi/pdf/10.1148/radiology.178.2.1987593 There are risks of allergy and concerns if patients have bad kidneys going into the test. General advice is to drink fluids afterwards to help flush the stuff out.