Imaging

Should We Do Brain Imaging on Suspected Infective Endocarditis Patients?

Imaging, Infectious Disease

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Among patients with infective endocarditis (IE), 39% of neurologically “asymptomatic” patients had a cerebral embolic event (CEE) on neuroimaging, and a new surgical indication was established in 19% of these cases. CEEs were seen in 73% of neurologically symptomatic patients. But there were some issues with this study…

Source
Role of Cerebral Imaging on Diagnosis and Management in Patients With Suspected Infective Endocarditis. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Aug 14;77(3):371-379. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciad192.

New ACEP Clinical Policy on Mild TBI

Imaging, Neurosurgery, Trauma

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ACEP has issued an updated Clinical Policy to provide evidence-based guidelines for management of adult patients presenting to the ED with mild traumatic brain injury based on systematic review of available literature.

Source
Clinical Policy: Critical Issues in Management of Adult Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Ann Emerg Med. 2023 May; 81(5): e63-e105. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.01.014.

How Accurate is Physician Gestalt in Estimating Abdomen/Pelvis Injury In Blunt Trauma?

Imaging, Trauma

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In this prospective observational study of patients undergoing CT imaging of the abdomen/pelvis for blunt trauma, gestalt among Emergency Medicine residents/attendings and General Surgery residents was moderately accurate but not sufficiently sensitive to rule out clinically significant injuries when the acceptable miss rate was set at 2%.

Source
Accuracy of physician gestalt in prediction of significant abdominal and pelvic injury in adult blunt trauma patients [published online ahead of print, 2023 Jun 26]. Acad Emerg Med. 2023;10.1111/acem.14768. doi:10.1111/acem.14768.

How Helpful Is CT Post-Arrest?

Critical Care, Imaging, Resuscitation

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Computed tomography (CT) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) often identifies clinically important pathology such as the etiology of the arrest, traumatic injuries from resuscitation, and consequences from inadequate perfusion.

Source
Diagnostic yield of computed tomography after non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 2023 Aug;189:109898. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2023.109898. Epub 2023 Jul 6.

ACEP Clinical Policy – Appendicitis

Imaging, Surgery

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This ACEP clinical policy covers issues in the evaluating and managing ED patients with suspected appendicitis including clinical prediction rules, comparative imaging modalities, and need for IV contrast in CT imaging.

Source
Clinical Policy: Critical Issues in the Evaluation and Management of Emergency Department Patients With Suspected Appendicitis: Approved by ACEP Board of Directors February 1, 2023. Ann Emerg Med. 2023 Jun;81(6):e115-e152. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.01.015.

How Many PECARN-Negative Kids Have ICH or Fracture on CT?

Imaging, Pediatrics, Trauma

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This database review of pediatric head trauma patients who had CT identified GCS 3-8 as an exam finding associated with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH); age, gender, and GCS were also associated with facial or skull fracture. It also found significant imaging results may exist in PECARN-negative patients.

Source
Risk Factors Associated with Traumatic Brain Injury and Implementation of Guidelines for Requesting Computed Tomography After Head Trauma Among Children in France. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 May 1;6(5):e2311092. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11092.

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