Nearly 40% of patients transferred to a trauma center had repeat computed tomography scans for various reasons.
Trauma patients transferred from one hospital to another often undergo repeat computed tomography (CT) scans, some of which are clinically important (e.g., to assess progression of an intracranial hemorrhage) and some of which have no clear indication. To determine the frequency of repeat CT scanning, investigators reviewed charts from a consecutive convenience sample of 211 trauma patients transferred to the emergency department at a level 1 trauma center in Virginia.
Overall, 39% of patients underwent at least one repeat scan. Cervical spine scans were the most frequently repeated (39%), followed by chest (37%), pelvic (32%), abdominal (30%), maxillofacial (20%), and head (16%) CT scans. Additional charges averaged $1762 per patient with a…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals