Appropriate clinical decision-making in the initial evaluation and management of?trauma patients in the emergency department is critical to optimize patient outcomes.
Our August supplement,?Current Topics in Emergency Trauma Care, provides evidence-based recommendations for determining appropriate diagnostic imaging modalities in trauma patients, best practices and strategies in initial resuscitation of the trauma patient, and clinical decision tools to aid in decision-making.
Part 1 of the supplement, “Limiting Radiation Exposure in Trauma Imaging,” reviews best practices in diagnostic radiology for evaluation of the trauma patient and discusses approaches to optimize diagnostic assessment while limiting radiation exposure. To help you with the decision-making process, we’ve included the table below, which is also included in the supplement.
Table 4. Clinical Decision Rules for Trauma Imaging
| Clinical Issues | Decision Rules | References |
|---|---|---|
| Cervical spine evaluation in blunt trauma patients | NEXUS Low-Risk Criteria for C-Spine Imaging and Canadian C-Spine Rule | Hoffman JR et al, 200022?Stiell IG et al, 200123 |
| Imaging of patients with minor head injury | Canadian CT Head Rule | Stiell IG et al, 200124 |
| Selective chest imaging in blunt trauma patients | NEXUS Chest Decision Instrument for Blunt Chest Trauma | Rodriguez RM et al, 201325 |
| Evaluation of ankle/foot injuries | Ottawa Ankle Rule | Stiell IG et al, 199326 |
| Evaluation of knee injuries | Ottawa Knee Rule | Stiell IG et al, 199627 |
Abbreviations: C-spine, cervical spine; CT, computed tomography; NEXUS, National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study.
The hyperlinks in?Table 4?provide access to each clinical decision rule tool on MDCalc. For more information about each clinical decision tool, go to: www.ebmedicine.net/TraumaImaging. |
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Last Updated on October 15, 2021
