BACKGROUND: The evaluation of multitrauma patients for blunt truncal injuries remains open for debate. We sought to evaluate the role of routine computed tomography (CT) of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis as a screening tool for patients already undergoing cranial CT studies. METHODS: Charts of blunt trauma patients admitted from June 2000 to June 2001 were reviewed for demographics, Glascow Coma Scale (GCS), physical and radiological findings, and length of stay. RESULTS: Our study found that 38% of patients undergoing cranial CT scanning had a unexpected finding on body scans. Changes were made in 26% of the study group because results found on the adjuvant CTs. CONCLUSIONS: Additional body CTs add minimal cost to the care of trauma patients but can significantly change the management. We believe it is beneficial to perform routine body CT examinations when performing cranial imaging for blunt head injury.
BACKGROUND: The evaluation of multitrauma patients for blunt truncal injuries remains open for debate. We sought to evaluate the role of routine computed tomography (CT) of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis as a screening tool for patients already undergoing cranial CT studies. METHODS: Charts of blunt traumapatients admitted from June 2000 to June 2001 were reviewed for demographics, Glascow Coma Scale (GCS), physical and radiological findings, and length of stay. RESULTS: Our study found that 38% of patients undergoing cranial CT scanning had a unexpected finding on body scans. Changes were made in 26% of the study group because results found on the adjuvant CTs. CONCLUSIONS: Additional body CTs add minimal cost to the care of traumapatients but can significantly change the management. We believe it is beneficial to perform routine body CT examinations when performing cranial imaging for blunt head injury.
Authors: N Moussavi; H Ghani; A Davoodabadi; F Atoof; A Moravveji; S Saidfar; H Talari Journal: Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg Date: 2017-09-25 Impact factor: 3.693
Authors: Douglas R Murken; Joshua J Weis; Geoffrey C Hill; Louis H Alarcon; Matthew R Rosengart; Raquel M Forsythe; Gary T Marshall; Timothy R Billiar; Andrew B Peitzman; Jason L Sperry Journal: Surgery Date: 2012-08-31 Impact factor: 3.982
Authors: Eric Mahoney; Suresh Agarwal; Baojun Li; Tracey Dechert; John Abbensetts; Andrew Glantz; Alan Sherburne; Dinesh Kurian; Peter Burke Journal: J Trauma Acute Care Surg Date: 2012-09 Impact factor: 3.313