OBJECTIVES: Total body computed tomography (CT) scan is increasingly used in traumatised @entity1 , but the need for an initial rapid imaging assessment beforehand remains unknown. To address this problem, we assessed the value of an initial imaging assessment (chest X-ray, pelvic X-ray, abdominal ultrasonography) in severely traumatised @entity1 in a prospective study. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study of a cohort in a level 1 @entity130 centre of an university teaching hospital. @entity1 AND INTERVENTIONS: 400 @entity1 with severe @entity130 . Within 30 min of arrival in the hospital, these @entity1 underwent a rapid imaging assessment at the bedside, including chest and pelvic X-ray, and an abdominal ultrasonography. The decision taken for each imaging technique (chest drainage or thoracotomy, pelvic angiography, and laparotomy, respectively) was judged as appropriate or inappropriate. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Emergency chest drainage or thoracotomy was performed in 78 cases (78 appropriate), pelvic angiography in 8 cases (5 appropriate) and immediate laparotomy in 48 cases (47 appropriate). Emergency treatment was decided in 108 @entity1 , and the decisions were considered appropriate in 392 (98%, 95% CI: 97%-99%) cases. Three variables (heart rate, systolic arterial pressure and Glasgow @entity772 Scale) were independent predictors of the need for an emergency decision, but among @entity1 who had none of these criteria, 16% required an emergency decision. CONCLUSIONS: A simple and rapid initial imaging assessment enabled appropriate emergency decisions before further imaging assessment was performed. We recommend that every @entity1 with severe @entity130 receive this initial assessment.

Initial imaging assessment of severe XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient', 'PATIENTS'] @entity772 :: ('MESH:D003128', 'Disease') :: ['Coma'] @entity130 :: ('MESH:D014947', 'Disease') :: ['blunt trauma', 'trauma']
@entity130 :: (MESH:D014947,Disease) :: ['blunt trauma']
