Whole body scans for trauma patients saves time spent in emergency
departments

Date:
July 13, 2020
Source:
University of South Australia
Summary:
A new study by a medical imaging student may have found the solution
to easing hospital ramping and crowded emergency departments.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Ever sat in an ambulance or crowded emergency room with a loved one who
has sustained serious injuries, waiting for a scan as precious life-saving minutes tick by?

==========================================================================
This scenario is common in most hospitals around the world, leading to
long queues and ramping issues with paramedics having to often care for critically ill patients in the interim.

A new study by a University of South Australia medical imaging student may
have found a partial solution: imaging trauma patients with whole body CT (WBCT) scans which are a lot faster and more accurate than conventional radiology procedures.

In a recent paper published in the European Journal of Radiology, Elio
Arruzza and his co-authors found that WBCT drastically cut the time
spent in emergency departments as the procedure is far quicker than
the traditional method of x- rays, ultrasound and selective CT scans of individual body regions.

WBCT is broadly defined as a CT scan of the head, cervical spine, chest, abdomen and pelvis.

The superior diagnostic accuracy of WBCT also makes it less likely that injuries are missed or even misdiagnosed, which happens with conventional imaging in up to 39 per cent of cases, Arruzza and his co-authors found.



========================================================================== However, WBCT imparts more radiation dose than other imaging procedures
or non- WBCT, which clinicians, patients and families need to consider
when weighing up the options.

In a meta-analysis of radiological procedures, Arruzza reviewed 14
studies comparing WBCT outcomes with conventional radiological procedures,
or non-WBCT.

While mortality rates, intensive care unit and hospital length stays were similar, time spent in emergency departments was significantly reduced.

"Our findings show that patients presenting with traumatic injuries
can be diagnosed a lot faster with WBCT and therefore treated more
quickly. This could in turn potentially reduce the impact of emergency department overcrowding, or ramping, which is a major problem in Adelaide
and nationally," Arruzza says.

"Much like the saying 'time is brain' in terms of stroke patients,
'time is life' for trauma patients. With expected improvements in the technology, we not only expect faster times but lower radiation doses
as well." While the evidence suggests there is little difference in
mortality rates between WBCT and non-WBCT, Arruzza says this is due to
WBCT being reserved for critically ill patients.

"Less severely injured patients are still being scanned via the
traditional x- ray, ultrasound and selective CT procedures so it is
difficult to compare what their progress would be like if they received
a full body scan," he says.

More than five million people die from traumatic injuries each year,
accounting for nine per cent of global mortality and the leading cause
of death among people under the age of 45.

About 60 per cent of trauma-related deaths occur within an hour after
injury, compared to 30 per cent within 24 hours and the remainder over
a longer period.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_South_Australia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Elio Arruzza, Minh Chau, Janine Dizon. Systematic review and meta-
analysis of whole-body computed tomography compared to conventional
radiological procedures of trauma patients. European Journal of
Radiology, 2020; 129: 109099 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2020.109099 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200713104410.htm

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