['To evaluate the effects of iterative reconstruction (IR) on reconstruction time and speed in two commonly encountered acquisition protocols in an emergency setting: pulmonary CT angiography (CTA) and total body trauma CT.', 'Twenty-five patients underwent a pulmonary CTA for evaluation of pulmonary embolisms and 15 patients underwent a total body CT after a traumatic event on a 256-slice CT. Images were reconstructed with filtered back-projection (FBP) and two IR levels. Reconstruction time and speed were quantified using custom written software.', 'Mean reconstruction time delays for pulmonary CTAs were 10\u2009±\u200910\xa0s and 12\u2009±\u200912\xa0s for IR levels 2 and 4, respectively, and 44\u2009±\u20098\xa0s and 45\u2009±\u20097\xa0s for total body trauma CTs for IR levels 1 and 6, respectively. Mean reconstruction times and speeds for pulmonary CTAs were 26\u2009±\u20097\xa0s, 36\u2009±\u20099\xa0s and 38\u2009±\u200912\xa0s, and 26.7\u2009±\u20095.6 slices/s, 18.7\u2009±\u20092.3 slices/s and 18.0\u2009±\u20092.8 slices/s for FBP, IR levels 2 and 4, respectively. For total body trauma CTs these values were 87\u2009±\u200915\xa0s, 132\u2009±\u200917\xa0s and 132\u2009±\u200918\xa0s, and 20.1\u2009±\u20091.6 slices/s, 13.2\u2009±\u20090.8 slices/s and 13.2\u2009±\u20090.6 slices/s for FBP, IR levels 1 and 6, respectively.'] Does iterative reconstruction substantially delay CT imaging in an emergency setting?