The role of whole-body computed tomography in determining risky patient group with regard to polytrauma patients in the emergency department (original) (raw)
Related papers
European Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2012
We sought to identify the impact of whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) on working and suspected diagnoses in Emergency Department (ED) trauma patients and to determine the rate of WBCT scans with no detectable traumatic injuries. We performed a retrospective database analysis of all trauma patients who underwent WBCT in 2009, comparing pretest suspicion of specific injury to WBCT findings, looking for the rates of unexpected findings and the absence of traumatic injury in WBCT studies. Our results showed that of the 179 patients who underwent WBCT, no traumatic injury reported in 17 patients while 162 patients demonstrated pathology (47 confirming previously suspected or diagnosed injury and 115 with previously unexpected injury). Overall, WBCT results differed from clinical findings in 130 (72.6%) patients, a statistically significant difference (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, WBCT identifies previously unexpected injuries in almost 66% of ED trauma patients, supporting its continued use in the initial assessment of trauma patients.
Annals of Medical Research
The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of incidental findings and the clinically significant ones in whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) scans in multiple trauma patients in the emergency department (ED). Material and Methods: This study was designed as a single-centered retrospective cohort in a tertiary emergency room. Multiple trauma patients who were screened with WBCT in the ED in 2017 were analyzed. Incidental findings (IF) were categorized into 3 groups as group 1 (emergency treatment / need further examination), group 2 (need examination depending on the symptoms of patients) and group 3 (minor findings with no need for further examination). Results: WBCT screening was performed in 206 of 3746 patients (5.4%) who were admitted to the trauma unit in ED due to multiple traumas. A total of 360 IFs were found in 138 (67%) of 206 patients. Of the patients, 13.3% were classified as group 1, 30.9% as group 2, 55.8% as group 3 and IF was detected, respectively (48, 111, 201). Cardiomegaly was the most common finding in group 1 (n = 11). In group 2, hepatomegaly (n = 18) and atherosclerosis (n = 13) were the most common ones observed. Brain calcifications (n = 42) and renal cysts (n = 17) were the most common findings in Group 3. The age distribution of patients with IF was statistically significantly higher compared to those without IF (43.54 ± 18.78, 25.16 ± 11.7, p <0.001, respectively). Conclusion: WBCT is used in the ED with an increasing frequency in multiple trauma patients and causes incidental findings to occur significantly. Some of these findings may be vital and may require further clinical evaluation and follow-up.
European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, 2020
Purpose The indication of whole body computed tomography (WBCT) in the emergency treatment of trauma is still under debate. We were interested in the detailed information gain obtained from WBCT following standardized conventional imaging (CI). Methods Prospective study including all emergency trauma centre patients examined by CI (focused assessment of sonography in trauma, chest and pelvic X-ray) followed by WBCT from 2011 to 2017. Radiology reports were compared per patient for defined body regions for number and severity of injuries (Abbreviated Injury Scale, AIS; Injury Severity Score, ISS), incidental findings and treatment consequences (Wilcoxon signed rank test, Spearman rho, Chi-square). Results 1271 trauma patients (ISS 11.3) were included in this study. WBCT detected more injury findings than CI in the equivalent body regions (1.8 vs. 0.6; p < 0.001). In 44.4% of cases at least one finding was missed by CI alone. Compared to WBCT, injury severity of specified body regi...
Panamerican Journal of Trauma, Critical Care & Emergency Surgery, 2015
Background There is an important increase in the use of whole body computed tomography (WBCT) around the world although its benefits are still controversial. We hypothesized that the use of a WBCT protocol in the major trauma patients based on mechanism of injury alone would reduce the number of injuries that would have been missed if CT was only done based on clinical findings. Study design A prospective observational study with the inclusion of 144 patients with major blunt trauma during 5 months at our academic center. Data were collected from all patients including: epidemiology, clinical status on scene and at the emergency department, time of the scan (including patient handling), clinical findings during initial assessment and WBCT scan findings, dividing exams in with or without findings (normal). Looking for findings that would go unnoticed if CT was done based on clinical findings. Glasgow coma scale (GCS) 15 and GCS <15 were compared and data are presented as absolute ...
Colombia Médica : CM, 2020
Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation of a new single-pass whole-body computed tomography Protocol in the management of patients with severe trauma. Methods: This was a descriptive evaluation of polytrauma patients who underwent whole-body computed tomography. Patients were divided into three groups: 1. Blunt trauma hemodynamically stable 2. Blunt trauma hemodynamically unstable and 3. Penetrating trauma. Demographics, whole-body computed tomography parameters and outcome variables were evaluated. Results: Were included 263 patients. Median injury severity score was 22 (IQR: 16-22). Time between arrival to the emergency department and completing the whole-body computed tomography was under 30 minutes in most patients [Group 1: 28 minutes (IQR: 14-55), Group 2: 29 minutes (IQR: 16-57), and Group 3: 31 minutes (IQR: 13-50; p= 0.96)]. 172 patients (65.4%) underwent non-operative management. The calculated and the real survival rates did not vary among ...
Emergency medicine journal : EMJ, 2017
Whole-body CT (WBCT) use in patients with trauma in England and Wales is not well documented. WBCT in trauma can reduce time to definitive care, thereby increasing survival. However, its use varies significantly worldwide. We performed a retrospective observational study of Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) data from 2012 to 2014. The proportion of adult patients receiving WBCT during initial resuscitation at major trauma centres (MTCs) and trauma units/non-designated hospitals (TUs/NDHs) was compared. A model was developed that included factors associated with WBCT use, and centre effects within the model were explored to determine variation in usage beyond that expected from the model. Of the 115 664 study participants, 16.5% had WBCT. WBCT was performed five times more frequently in MTCs than in TUs/NDHs (31% vs 6.6%). In the multivariate model, increased injury severity, low GCS, shock, comorbidities and triage category increased the chances of having a WBCT, but there wa...
Whole-body computed tomography in severely injured patients
Current Opinion in Critical Care, 2018
Purpose of review To provide an update on the relevant and recent studies on whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) imaging of severely injured patients. Recent findings The advantages of WBCT in time saving, diagnostic accuracy and even in survival have been proven in numerous studies. WBCT can also be beneficial in haemodynamically unstable major trauma patients. The CT scanner should be located close to the emergency department or even in the trauma room. The issue of radiation is still quite important, however, iterative as well as split-bolus protocols can nowadays reduce radiation significantly. The question: which trauma patient should receive WBCT and which not is not yet solved sufficiently. Postmortem WBCT has a promising potential to promptly define the definitive cause of death of trauma victims comparably to traditional autopsy. Summary On account of the recent advances, whole-body CT has become a crucial part of the initial in-hospital assessment of severely injured patients. It is recommended as the standard radiological tool for the emergency diagnostic work-up in major trauma patients.
La radiologia medica, 2015
preclinical and clinical trauma management within the first hour after an injury (golden hour) is significant and strongly influences the survival rate [1, 2]. The standardized trauma-related death rate for the 25 EU members is 28.5 per 100,000. In total, a large proportion of the trauma-related deaths are attributable to motor vehicle accidents (MVA). However, in the EU in general, the incidence of MVA-related death is significantly decreased in the past 10 years [3]. This development is in part not only a result of the improvement in resuscitation procedures but also due to the innovation of the radiological diagnosis, especially the implementation of CT in the early phase of the emergency management [4-6]. Until a few years ago, CT scanning was performed at the end of the clinical evaluation of the patient that arrived at the emergency department. However, with the advance of high-speed assessment of a large scan range by MDCT, CT scanning can now be instituted immediately upon patient arrival. By doing so, the mortality rate from highly severe trauma significantly decreased especially in cases of severe trauma. Compared to MDCT imaging, plain radiography of the cervical spine, the thorax, and the pelvis has substantially lower diagnostic power. For example, 10-50 % of pneumothoraces are not evident on plain radiographs; however, they are readily detectable with MDCT imaging. Also MDCT imaging is substantially superior to plain radiography for the diagnosis of cervical spine and pelvic trauma [7-10]. In the trauma setting, sonography plays a strategic role in unstable patients to detect hemoperitoneum, the presence of which may lead to the surgical treatment [11, 12]. Actually, it is a useful method for recognizing intraperitoneal bleeding in hypotensive patients who need an emergent laparotomy and for diagnosing cardiac injuries from Abstract Trauma causes greater losses of life years and it is the most common cause of death for people under the age of 45. Time is one of the most relevant factors for the survival of injured patients, particularly the time elapsed from trauma until the resuscitation procedures. As a member of the trauma team, the radiologist contributes to the rapid diagnosis of traumatic disorders, with appropriate imaging modalities. Based on the evidence, the most appropriate diagnostic tool for severe/multiple trauma is computed tomography (CT). With the advent of multidetector CT (MDCT), radiologists are able to more effectively characterize life-threatening traumatic disorders within a few seconds in stable or stabilized patients. Considering the diagnostic potential of MDCT, conventional radiographs could be virtually abandoned in the diagnostic algorithms for adult polytraumatized patients. The radiologist helps to facilitate triage and to assess the optimal individual treatment for polytrauma patients, thus contributing to the improvement of patient outcomes. In this article, the indications for MDCT in the polytrauma setting are discussed. Keywords Trauma • Polytrauma • Multiple trauma • Computed tomography • Multidetector computed tomography • Diagnosis • Management Why MDCT imaging? The probability of survival of trauma is predominantly determined by the injury mechanism. In addition, the
SUMMARY Objectives Using whole-body multislice computed tomography (MSCT) excessively or with irrelevant indications can be seen in many centers. The aim of this study was to analyze retrospectively the MSCT findings in trauma patients admitted to the emergency department. Methods Records of the patients who have applied to the emergency department due to blunt trauma in a 12 month period and whose whole body MSCT images have been taken, were evaluated using the " Nucleus Medical Information System ". Results The most frequent type of trauma was traffic accidents in 61.4%, falling down from the height in 22.4%, and motorcycle accidents in 11.4% of patients. of the patients, 25.2% were discharged from the emergency, while 73.8% were hospitalized. At least one CT findings associated with trauma was present in 61.4% of our patients. Pathological findings in MSCT were most frequently detected in the head and face (35.3%) and thoracic (28.6%) regions, respectively. The most common finding in the head and face region was fractures. The most common pathological findings in the thoracic region were pulmonary contusion and rib fractures. A significant relationship was detected between trauma type and spinal MSCT result (p <0.001). In a large percentage of the patients, MSCT findings were normal in the abdominal region and genitourinary system. Vertebral fractures were most frequently detected in the thoracolumbar region. Conclusions In our study, our rate of negative CT was found to be 38.6%, which is a higher ratio compared to other studies conducte on this topic.