Emergency radiology
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2015
Variation in the utilization and positivity rates of CT pulmonary angiography among emergency physicians at a tertiary academic emergency department.
We examined the patient and physician characteristics related to the use and yield of computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) at a tertiary academic hospital emergency department (ED). A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted on 835 consecutive ED patients with suspected PE who underwent CTPA. Radiology report data were extracted from our institution's RIS PACS software (Syngo Imaging, Siemens) based on a targeted search of all CTPA reports from 2010 to 2012. ⋯ However, neither rates correlated with EP years of experience (p > 0.15 with cut-offs at 5, 10, and 20 years post-residency), gender (p = 0.59), or training certification (p = 0.56 between EPs certified by the 5-year program of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada versus the 3-year program of the College of Family Physicians of Canada). Our study demonstrated considerable inter-physician variability in the utilization and PE positivity rates of CTPA. These results suggest an opportunity for a more standardized approach to the use of CTPA among EPs at our institution.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2015
The prevalence of pulmonary embolism among patients suffering from acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The clinical diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often difficult due to the similarity in the presenting symptoms of the two conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of PE in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD. Forty-nine consecutive patients admitted to our medical center for acute exacerbation of COPD were investigated for PE (whether or not clinically suspected), following a standardized algorithm based on D-dimer testing and computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). ⋯ Presenting symptoms and signs were similar between patients who did and did not have PE. PE was detected in 18 % of COPD patients who were hospitalized for an acute exacerbation. This finding supports the systematic evaluation of PE in hospitalized COPD exacerbated patients.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2015
Does early ED CT scanning of afebrile patients with first episodes of acute pancreatitis ever change management?
Rising utilization of computed tomography (CT) imaging early in the course of acute pancreatitis (AP) has been recently reported. However, radiographic demonstration of the degree of necrosis or the presence of complications is not fully apparent within the first days of an acute attack. The objective of this study was to examine if CT scanning early in the course of disease (<48 h of symptoms) in afebrile patients with an emergency department (ED) diagnosis of first episode of AP revealed any unanticipated pathology that altered clinical management. ⋯ No patient that underwent CT scanning had an unexpected finding (95 % CI, 0.923-1.0). Our results demonstrate that afebrile patients with first episodes of AP do not benefit from early abdominal CT imaging. These results support the ACR Appropriateness Criteria recommendation that CT is not indicated in the first 48 h after symptom onset in unequivocal cases of AP.