Computed tomography in the Emergency Department

Background: Emergency Departments (ED) are supposed to serve patients in life-threatening conditions, yet they admit patients not requiring urgent medical attention. Computed tomography is one of the most commonly performed imaging tests in the ED in life-/health-threatening conditions. The goal of this paper is to analyse CT examinations performed in the ED at St. Jadwiga Provincial Hospital No. 2 in Rzeszow. Material/Methods: The study group consisted of 1290 patients of the ED in Provincial Hospital No. 2 in Rzeszow, who were diagnosed in the ED from 01 Jan 2013 to 31 March 2013 and underwent a CT examination. Results: Among ED patients, who underwent head CT scans, there were 57% of males and 43% of females. Head CT scans revealed pathology in the head in 52% of males, including life-threatening conditions in 8%. In head CT scan, 44% of females demonstrated a pathology in the head including 7% with life-threatening conditions. CT scans of other body parts revealed a pathology in 45% of males, including 30% with life-threatening conditions, and 56% of females, including 28% with lifethreatening conditions. Conclusions: CT scans of the head and other body parts due to trauma prevailed in males, whereas in females indications for CT were mainly neurological. Both males and females demonstrated similar - relatively very small – number of test results being directly life-threatening. Among head CT scans normal results prevailed in females. Normal results of CT scans of other body parts were more common in males than in females. CT scans of other body parts performed after trauma revealed a higher number of post-traumatic lesions including life-threatening ones in males. A large number of CT results showing no lesions suggest that a more insightful and precise classification of patients referred to CT scans by ED physicians or consultant physicians is required.