Emergency radiology
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel strain of coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has quickly spread around the globe. Health care facilities in the USA currently do not have an adequate supply of COVID-19 tests to meet the growing demand. Imaging findings for COVID-19 are non-specific but include pulmonary parenchymal ground-glass opacities in a predominantly basal and peripheral distribution. ⋯ Using imaging characteristics of COVID-19 on abdominal or neck CT when a portion of the lungs is included, patients not initially suspected of COVID-19 infection can be quarantined earlier to limit exposure to others.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2020
Exploratory data analysis for pre and post 24/7/365 attending radiologist coverage support in an emergency department: fundamentals of data science.
To present a detailed exploratory data analysis for critically investigating the patterns in medical doctor (MD) to disposition time, pre and post 24/7/365 attending radiologist coverage, for patients presenting to an emergency department (ED). ⋯ Different statistical procedures may be applied to conduct exploratory subgroup analysis for a data set from a pre and post 24/7/365 attending coverage model. This could guide potential areas of further research to compare trends in MD to disposition time in ED. Pattern analysis provides evidence for various stakeholders to rethink the discourse about trends in MD to disposition time, pre and post 24/7/365 attending coverage. Graphical Illustration: The role of Emergency and Trauma Radiology in an Emergency Department.
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Emergency radiology · Jun 2020
ReviewMass casualty incidents-are you ready? A major incident planning template for diagnostic radiology.
Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) create a large number of casualties in a short period of time. Diagnostic radiology plays an important role in major incident responses but is often underrepresented during major incident planning (MIP) and simulation. Surveys suggest radiologists are unfamiliar with their role during an MCI. ⋯ Simulation can help identify areas for improvement and familiarize staff with their roles. Further development of reliable MCI alert technology and patient identification strategies are needed as well as prospective validation of trauma CT selection criteria to identify patients who will benefit most from CT. Radiology should take part in MIP to address key issues encountered during prior MCIs and in MCI simulation to optimize major incident response.