Time factors associated with CT scan usage in trauma patients

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Radiology
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Computed tomography (CT) scans are standard in acute trauma care.
• Time factors for CT integration into trauma workups are not well understood.
• Analyzing time intervals can identify improvements in trauma resuscitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze time factors in CT scanning for acute trauma patients.
• To identify potential improvements in the trauma resuscitation phase.
• To evaluate CT scan timing in a high-volume, level-1 trauma center.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection over 5 weeks.
• Inclusion of consecutive trauma patients undergoing CT scans (excluding <16 years).
• Detailed time registration: admission, trauma series completion, CT start/completion.
• Subgroup analyses by injury severity (ISS), presentation, surgery, and ICU admission.

Main Results:

• Median time to complete X-ray trauma series: 9 minutes.
• Median time to CT scan completion: 105 minutes.
• Complete radiological workup median time: 114 minutes.
• Full body CT scans used in 62% of cases.
• Patients with Injury Severity Score (ISS) >15 had significantly faster CT imaging.

Conclusions:

• Complete radiological workup for trauma patients takes a median of 114 minutes.
• Severely injured patients (ISS >15) receive faster CT diagnostic imaging.
• Streamlined processes in high-volume trauma centers can expedite CT utilization.