Emergency radiology
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Ultrasound is a standard adjunct to the initial evaluation of injured patients in the emergency department. We sought to evaluate the ability of prehospital, in-flight thoracic ultrasound to identify pneumothorax. Non-physician aeromedical providers were trained to perform and interpret thoracic ultrasound. ⋯ In comparison, emergency department (ED) ultrasound had a sensitivity of 84 % (95 % CI 62-94 %), specificity of 98 % (95 % CI 93-99 %), and an accuracy of 96 % (95 % CI 90-98 %). The unique characteristics of the aeromedical environment render the auditory element of a reliable physical exam impractical. Thoracic ultrasonography should be utilized to augment the diagnostic capabilities of prehospital aeromedical providers.
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Emergency radiology · Dec 2015
Safety incident reporting in emergency radiology: analysis of 1717 safety incident reports.
The aim of this article is to describe the incidence and types of safety reports logged in the radiology safety incident reporting system in our emergency radiology section over an 8-year period. Electronic incident reporting system of our institute was searched for the variables in emergency radiology. All reports from April 2006 to June 2014 were included and deindentified. ⋯ Forty-six percent of safety incidents (789/1717) caused no harm and did not reach the patient, 36 % (617/1717) caused no harm but reached the patient, 18 % (308/1717) caused temporary or minor harm/ damage, and less than 1 % caused permanent or major harm/ damage or death. Our study shows an overall safety incident report rate of 0.19 % in emergency radiology including radiography, CT, and MRI modalities. The most common safety incidents were diagnostic test orders, medication/IV safety, and service coordination.
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Emergency radiology · Dec 2015
Pediatric trauma care with computed tomography--criteria for CT scanning.
Trauma centers, trauma management concepts, as well as integration of whole-body computed tomography (CT) reduced mortality significantly. The accuracy of a trauma care algorithm with emergency CT in children was evaluated. Data of 71 children with emergency CT were recorded retrospectively. ⋯ In children, our algorithm detected all injuries, but only one third of the children had relevant trauma related findings in the CT scan. In order to reduce radiation exposure but preserve the advantages of CT, a new algorithm was developed with more flexibility taking the child's age and mental status more into account as well as clinical findings. The mechanism of injury itself is not anymore an indication for CT scanning.
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Emergency radiology · Dec 2015
The top 100 articles in the radiology of trauma: a bibliometric analysis.
The purpose of this study was to identify the 100 top-cited articles in the radiology of trauma, analyze the resulting database to understand factors resulting in highly cited works, and establish trends in trauma imaging. An initial database was created via a Web of Science (WOS) search of all scientific journals using the search terms "trauma" and either "radiology" or a diagnostic modality. Articles were ranked by citation count and screened by two attending radiologists plus a tiebreaker for appropriateness. ⋯ Neuroradiology (n = 48) and abdominal radiology (n = 36) were the most common subspecialties. The 100 top-cited articles in the radiology of trauma are diverse. Subspecialty bibliometric analyses identify the most influential articles of a particular field, providing more implications to clinical radiologists, trainees, researchers, editors, and reviewers than radiology-wide lists.
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Emergency radiology · Oct 2015
The impact of using RUSH protocol for diagnosing the type of unknown shock in the emergency department.
Clinical assessment and classification of shock is extremely difficult to conduct on critically ill patients especially upon arrival at the emergency department. Resuscitative point-of-care ultrasound could be used for rapid initial diagnosis and better management. In this study, the results of using the RUSH (Rapid Ultrasound in Shock) exam to determine the type of shock in the emergency department are compared to the final diagnosis of patients. ⋯ The overall sensitivity of the RUSH exam was 88 % and the specificity was 96 %. Although the mortality rate was 64 %, there was not a significant relationship between mortality and the protocol used for diagnosis. The RUSH exam could be used in emergency wards to detect types of shock.