I am always keen to hear reports of successful imaging reduction interventions – and, even moreso, in trauma. The typical, modern, approach to trauma involves liberal use of advanced imaging – almost to the point of it being a punch line.
This single-center before-and-after report details their experiences between 2006 and 2013. Before 2010, there was no specific protocol regarding CT in trauma – leading to institutional self-examination in the setting of rampant overuse. After 2010, the following protocol was in effect:
There isn’t much besides good news presented here. Their primary imaging use outcome, abdominopelvic CT, decreased from 76.7% to 44.6% of all presentations. This was related to an increase in mean ISS for those undergoing CT. When free fluid from non-traumatic causes was individually accounted for, the rate of positivity of these CT rose from 12.3% to 17.5%. Finally, mortality was unchanged – 3.1% vs. 2.7%.
No doubt, any reduction in imaging will miss some important findings. The net counterbalancing effect, however, is likely a massive reduction in costs and harms from further evaluation of false-positives, renal contrast injury, and radiation. And, after all, they’re still performing CTs on nearly half their patients!
“Effect of an Institutional Triaging Algorithm on the Use of Multidetector CT for Patients with Blunt Abdominopelvic Trauma over an 8-year Period”