Emergency radiology
-
Emergency radiology · Dec 2013
Radiation exposure among patients with the highest CT scan utilization in the emergency department.
The risk of cancer from computed tomography (CT) scan radiation is a rising concern in the medical field. Our objectives were to determine how many patients received more than ten CT scans in an academic emergency department (ED) over the course of 7 years and to quantify their radiation exposure and lifetime attributable risk of cancer. An electronic chart review was performed at our urban academic institution with an annual census of 110,000 patients. ⋯ Among those undergoing CT imaging in our ED, high-exposure patients (greater than ten scans) constituted a significant minority, while more than one in four patients underwent more than one CT scan during the study period. While the presumed overall risk of radiation-induced cancer continues to be low, it is important for the emergency physician to use clinical knowledge as well as concern for the patient when utilizing radiographic imaging. Increasing attributable cancer risk may have important public health implications in the future, regardless of the low individual risk.
-
Emergency radiology · Oct 2013
Therapeutic enema for pediatric ileocolic intussusception: using a balloon catheter improves efficacy.
A therapeutic enema for pediatric intussusception may benefit by using a rectal catheter with an inflated balloon. We compared the efficacy of rectal catheters without and with an inflated balloon for air and liquid enemas. We retrospectively reviewed PACS images and hospital records of children who had a therapeutic enema for intussusception at our institution between January 2006 and May 2011. ⋯ For liquid enema, the reduction rate was higher with an inflated balloon catheter than without inflation (14/17 or 82 % versus 1/5 or 20 %; P=0.021), but the procedure time was not shortened. No procedural complications were directly attributed to using a rectal catheter with an inflated balloon. Using a rectal catheter with an inflated balloon appears to safely shorten the procedure time of a successful air enema and improve the reduction rate of liquid enema.
-
Among solid organ blunt traumas, the liver and spleen are mostly subject to injury. In addition, the liver is also commonly injured in penetrating traumas because of its size, location, and the ease of injury to the "Glisson Capsule". Several enzymes are known to be elevated following trauma. ⋯ As expected, we found significant elevations in enzyme levels of trauma patients compared to the control group. The calculated point estimates were not significantly different between grades 1 and 2 trauma. However, grade 3 trauma group showed a significant increase in enzyme levels.
-
Emergency radiology · Oct 2013
Comparative StudyRapid imaging protocol in trauma: a whole-body dual-source CT scan.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether a single acquisition whole-body trauma multi-detector CT scan is able to reduce resuscitation time, scan time, and effective radiation dose without compromising diagnostic quality in the setting of polytrauma. Retrospective analysis of 33 trauma patients undergoing single acquisition whole-body CT with injury severity scores of ≥ 16 was compared to 34 patients imaged with a segmented whole-body CT protocol. Time spent in the emergency department, effective radiation dose, image quality, and mortality rates were compared. ⋯ Standardized mortality ratios were comparable. The single acquisition protocol significantly reduces time spent in the emergency department by allowing faster imaging at a lower radiation dose while maintaining image quality. Other contributors to reduction in radiation dose include use of dual-source CT technology, removal of delayed CT intravenous pyelogram, and arm positioning.
-
Emergency radiology · Oct 2013
Use of computed tomography in the setting of a tiered trauma team activation system in Australia.
This study aims to describe the patterns in the use of computed tomography (CT) imaging in the setting of a two-tiered trauma team activation system without a mandatory whole-body ("panscan") trauma CT protocol. A prospective study was conducted at a single inner city major trauma centre in Sydney, Australia. Adult patients presenting to the emergency department requiring a trauma team activation were studied over 1 year. ⋯ The full trauma response group was associated with significantly higher rates of severe injury (34 versus 8 %, p<0.001), multiregion injury (13 versus 3 %, p<0.001), need for operative intervention (37 versus 15 %, p<0.001) and in-hospital mortality (4 versus 0.7 %, p<0.001). This group was also associated with significantly higher odds of whole-body CT use [odds ratio (OR) 5.6, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 3.6-8.8, p<0.001] and higher odds of positive CT brain studies compared to the trauma consult group (OR 2.6, 95 % CI 1.7-4.1, p<0.001). A tiered trauma team activation criteria in combination with trauma team assessment may be used to triage patients requiring CT without the need for mandatory CT protocols based on mechanism alone.