Antiseizure medication ≤48 hours portends better prognosis in new-onset epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Several studies found that patients with new-onset epilepsy (NOE) have higher seizure recurrence rates if they presented already prior seizures. These observations suggest that timing of antiseizure medication (ASM) is crucial and should be offered immediately after the first seizure. Here, we wanted to assess whether immediate ASM is associated with improved outcome. METHODS: Single-center study of 1010 patients (≥16 years) who presented with a possible first seizure in the emergency department between 1 March 2010 and 1 March 2017. A comprehensive workup was launched upon arrival, including routine electroencephalography (EEG), brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, long-term overnight EEG and specialized consultations. We followed patients for 5 years comparing the relapse rate in patients treated within 48 h to those with treatment >48 h. RESULTS: A total of 487 patients were diagnosed with NOE. Of the 416 patients (162 female, age: 54.6 ± 21.1 years) for whom the treatment start could be retrieved, 80% (333/416) were treated within 48 h. The recurrence rate after immediate treatment (32%; 107/333) was significantly lower than in patients treated later (56.6%; 47/83; p < 0.001). For patients for whom a complete 5-year-follow-up was available (N = 297, 123 female), those treated ≤48 h (N = 228; 76.8%) had a significantly higher chance of remaining seizure-free compared with patients treated later (N = 69; 23.2%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective study, immediate ASM therapy (i.e., within 48 h) was associated with better prognosis up to 5 years after the index event. Prospective studies are required to determine the value of immediate workup and drug therapy in NOE patients.

Factors Influencing Physician Decision Making to Attempt Advanced Resuscitation in Asystolic Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

The objective of this study was to identify the key elements used by prehospital emergency physicians (EP) to decide whether or not to attempt advanced life support (ALS) in asystolic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). From 1 January 2009 to 1 January 2017, all adult victims of asystolic OHCA in Geneva, Switzerland, were retrospectively included. Patients with signs of "obvious death" or with a Do-Not-Attempt-Resuscitation order were excluded. Patients were categorized as having received ALS if this was mentioned in the medical record, or, failing that, if at least one dose of adrenaline had been administered during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Prognostic factors known at the time of EP's decision were included in a multivariable logistic regression model. Included were 784 patients. Factors favourably influencing the decision to provide ALS were witnessed OHCA (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.43-3.20) and bystander CPR (OR = 4.10, 95% CI: 2.28-7.39). Traumatic aetiology (OR = 0.04, 95% CI: 0.02-0.08), age > 80 years (OR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.09-0.24) and a Charlson comorbidity index greater than 5 (OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.06-0.27) were the factors most strongly associated with the decision not to attempt ALS. Factors influencing the EP's decision to attempt ALS in asystolic OHCA are the relatively young age of the patients, few comorbidities, presumed medical aetiology, witnessed OHCA and bystander CPR.

Reliability and performance of the Swiss Emergency Triage Scale used by paramedics.

OBJECTIVES: No general emergency department triage scale has been evaluated for prehospital triage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and the performance of the Swiss Emergency Triage Scale (SETS) used by paramedics to determine the emergency level and orientation of simulated patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective cross-sectional study, 23 paramedics evaluated 28 clinical scenarios with the SETS using interactive computerized triage software simulating real-life triage. The primary outcome was inter-rater reliability regarding the triage level among participants measured by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Secondary outcomes were the accuracy of triage level and the reliability and accuracy of orientation of patients of at least 75 years to a dedicated geriatric emergency centre. RESULTS: Twenty-three paramedics completed the evaluation of the 28 scenarios (644 triage decisions). Overall, ICC for triage level was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.77-0.99). Correct emergency level was assigned in 89% of cases, overtriage rate was 4.8%, and undertriage was 6.2%. ICC regarding orientation in the subgroup of simulated patients of at least 75 years was 0.76 (95% confidence interval: 0.61-0.89), with 93% correct orientation. CONCLUSION: Reliability of paramedics rating simulated emergency situations using the SETS was excellent, and the accuracy of their rating was very high. This suggests that in Switzerland, the SETS could be safely used in the prehospital setting by paramedics to determine the level of emergency and guide patients to the most appropriate hospital.

Pitfalls in the triage and evaluation of patients with suspected acute ethanol intoxication in an emergency department.

Acute ethanol intoxication (AEI) is frequent in emergency departments (EDs). These patients are at risk of mistriage, and to leave the ED without being seen. This study's objective was to describe the process and performance of triage and trajectory for patients with suspected AEI. Retrospective, observational study on adults admitted with a suspected AEI within 1 year at the ED of an urban teaching hospital. Data on the triage process, patients' characteristics, and their ED stay were extracted from electronic patient records. Predictors for leaving without being seen were identified using logistic regression analyzes. Of 60,488 ED patients within 1 year, 776 (1.3%) were triaged with suspected AEI. This population was young (mean age 38), primarily male (64%), and professionally inactive (56%). A large proportion were admitted on weekends (45%), at night (46%), and arrived by ambulance (85%). The recommendations of our triage scale were entirely respected in a minority of cases. In 22.7% of triage situations, a triage reason other than "alcohol abuse/intoxication" (such as suicidal ideation, head trauma or other substance abuse) should have been selected. Nearly, half of the patients (49%) left without being seen (LWBS). This risk was especially high amongst men (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.12-2.19), younger patients (< 26 years of age; OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.16-3.35), night-time admissions (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.16-3.35), and patients assigned a lower emergency level (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.58-3.42). Despite a standardized triage protocol, patients admitted with suspected AEI are at risk of poor assessment, and of not receiving optimal care.

Impact of a patient-flow physician coordinator on waiting times and length of stay in an emergency department: A before-after cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Overcrowding is common in most emergency departments (ED). Despite the use of validated triage systems, some patients are at risk of delayed medical evaluation. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a patient-flow physician coordinator (PFPC) on the proportion of patients offered medical evaluation within time limits imposed by the Swiss Emergency Triage Scale (SETS) and on patient flow within the emergency department of a teaching urban hospital. METHODS: In this before-after retrospective cohort study, we compared the proportions of patients who received their first medical contact within SETS-imposed time limits, mean waiting times before first medical consultation, mean length of stay, and number of patients who left without being seen by a physician, between two periods before and after introducing a PFPC. The PFPC was a senior physician charged with quickly assessing in the waiting area patients who could not immediately be seen and managing patient flow within the department. RESULTS: Before introducing the PFPC position, 33,605 patients were admitted, versus 36,288 after. Introducing a PFPC enabled the department to increase the proportion of patients seen within the SETS-imposed time limits from 60.1% to 69.0% (p <0.0001). Waiting times until first medical consultation were reduced on average by 27.7 minutes (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 25.9-29.5, p < .0001). No significant differences were observed as to length of stay or number of patients who left without being seen between the two study periods. CONCLUSIONS: Introducing a physician dedicated to managing patient flow enabled waiting times until first medical consultation to be reduced, yet had no significant benefit for patient flow within the ED, nor did it reduce the number of patients who left without being seen.

Reliability of the revised Swiss Emergency Triage Scale: a computer simulation study.

BACKGROUND: The Swiss Emergency Triage Scale (SETS) is a four-level emergency scale that previously showed moderate reliability and high rates of undertriage due to a lack of standardization. It was revised to better standardize the measurement and interpretation of vital signs during the triage process. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the inter-rater and test-retest reliability, and the rate of correct triage of the revised SETS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty clinical scenarios were evaluated twice at a 3-month interval using an interactive computerized triage simulator by 58 triage nurses at an urban teaching emergency department admitting 60 000 patients a year. Inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities were determined using κ statistics. Triage decisions were compared with a gold standard attributed by an expert panel. Rates of correct triage, undertriage, and overtriage were computed. A logistic regression model was used to identify the predictors of correct triage. RESULTS: A total of 3387 triage situations were analyzed. Inter-rater reliability showed substantial agreement [mean κ: 0.68; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60-0.78] and test-retest almost perfect agreement (mean κ: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.84-0.88). The rate of correct triage was 84.1%, and rates of undertriage and overtriage were 7.2 and 8.7%, respectively. Vital sign measurement was an independent predictor of correct triage (odds ratios for correct triage: 1.29 for each additional vital sign measured, 95% CI: 1.20-1.39). CONCLUSION: The revised SETS incorporating standardized vital sign measurement and interpretation during the triage process resulted in high reliability and low rates of mistriage.

Profound hyponatraemia in the emergency department: seasonality and risk factors.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: Profound hyponatremia (<125 mmol/l) is frequent in the emergency department. Its incidence appears to increase during hot weather. Our objectives were to investigate seasonal variations in the incidence of profound hyponatraemia and identify its risk factors. METHODS: The incidence of profound hyponatremia among patients admitted to the emergency department of a university hospital was compared between summer and winter periods over two successive years. Risk factors for profound hyponatraemia were analysed in a case-control retrospective study. Each adult patient admitted during the study periods with a blood sodium level <125 mmol/l was matched with two patients who had normal blood sodium concentrations. RESULTS: Of 28 734 analysed patients, 264 cases of profound hyponatraemia (0.92%) were identified. The incidence of profound hyponatraemia was higher in summer than in winter (1.29% vs 0.54%; odds ratio [OR] 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.83-3.12). In a multivariate analysis, age (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03), psychiatric disorders (OR 2.69, 95% CI 1.86-3.89), and use of thiazide diuretics (OR 7.79, 95% CI 4.73-12.85) or potassium-sparing diuretics (OR 4.69, 95% CI 2.31-9.52) were associated with increased risk. Mortality was higher in cases than in controls (11.7% vs 6.9%, OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.05-2.92). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of profound hyponatraemia was higher during the summer than the winter and was associated with excess risk of overall mortality. The use of thiazide and potassium-sparing diuretics was associated with the highest risk of hyponatraemia.

Patients leaving the emergency department without being seen by a physician: a retrospective database analysis.

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: To describe characteristics of patients leaving the emergency department (ED) before being seen by a physician and to identify factors associated with a greater risk of leaving the ED too early. DESIGN: retrospective database analysis. SETTING: emergency department (ED) of an urban teaching hospital admitting 60,000 patients per year. STUDY SUBJECTS: all patients older than 18 years admitted to the ED over one year. Collected data: patient's and ED visit characteristics. RESULTS: Among the 57,645 patients admitted, we identified 2,413 patients (4.2%) who left without being seen (LWBS). LWBS patients were more likely to be male (odds ratio [OR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI 95%]: 1.03-1.23), single (OR 1.12, CI 95%: 1.01-1.23), unemployed (OR 1.27, CI 95%: 1.13-1.44), dependent on welfare (OR 1.29, CI 95%: 1.12-1.50) or Muslim (OR 1.19, CI 95%: 1.00-1.42). LWBS patients were also more likely to present with less acute emergency triage levels. As complaints, alcohol and/or other substance abuse (OR 6.08, CI 95%: 5.04-7.34), neurological problems (OR 2.23, CI 95%: 1.88-2.64) or dermatological problems (OR 1.63, CI 95%: 1.37-1.94) were over-represented in this population. Patients admitted at week-ends (OR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.16-1.39) and/or during the night (OR = 2.67, 95% C: 2.35-3.02) also were at higher risk of leaving the ED prematurely. CONCLUSIONS: LWBS patients share some characteristics and a better understanding of these characteristics as well as time and logistic issues could ease to implement strategies to reduce premature leaving from the ED.

AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy in patients presenting with high-risk pulmonary embolism and cardiogenic shock: a feasibility pilot study.

AIMS: Pulmonary embolism (PE) associated with haemodynamic instability has exceedingly high mortality. While intravenous thrombolysis is considered the therapy of choice, percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy may represent an alternative treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: The impact of AngioJet® rheolytic thrombectomy (RT) in PE associated with cardiogenic shock was assessed in a single-centre prospective pilot study. Ten consecutive PE patients in cardiogenic shock were included in the study. Six patients had thrombolysis contraindications, eight were intubated before the RT procedure and six had experienced cardiac arrest prior to the RT procedure. The RT procedure was technically successful in all cases. The Miller index improved from 25 to 20 (p=0.002). The shock index decreased from 1.22 to 0.9 (p=0.129). Thrombolytic agents were administered during or after the procedure in four patients because of progressive clinical deterioration. Seven patients died in the first 24 hours: two from multi-organ failure, one from post-anoxic cerebral oedema, and four from progressive right heart failure. The three survivors had favourable outcomes at one year. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the AngioJet® RT procedure may be safely performed in PE patients with cardiogenic shock. However, despite angiographic and haemodynamic improvements, the procedure does not appear to influence the dismal prognosis of these high-risk patients.

Incidence, etiology and predictors of adverse outcomes in 43,315 patients presenting to the Emergency Department with syncope: an international meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Syncope remains challenging for Emergency Department (ED) physicians due to difficulties in assessing the risk of future adverse outcomes. The aim of this meta-analysis is to establish the incidence and etiology of adverse outcomes as well as the predictors, in patients presenting with syncope to the ED. METHODS: A systematic electronic literature review was performed looking for eligible studies published between 1990 and 2010. Studies reporting multivariate predictors of adverse outcomes in patients presenting with syncope to the ED were included and pooled, when appropriate, using a random-effect method. Adverse events were defined as 'incidence of death, or of hospitalization and interventional procedures because of arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease or valvular heart disease'. RESULTS: 11 studies were included. Pooled analysis showed 42% (CI 95%; 32-52) of patients were admitted to hospital. Risk of death was 4.4% (CI 95%; 3.1-5.1) and 1.1% (CI 95%; 0.7-1.5) had a cardiovascular etiology. One third of patients were discharged without a diagnosis, while the most frequent diagnosis was 'situational, orthostatic or vasavagal syncope' in 29% (CI 95%; 12-47). 10.4% (CI 95%; 7.8-16) was diagnosed with heart disease, the most frequent type being bradyarrhythmia, 4.8% (CI 95%; 2.2-6.4) and tachyarrhythmia 2.6% (CI 95%; 1.1-3.1). Palpitations preceding syncope, exertional syncope, a history consistent of heart failure or ischemic heart disease, and evidence of bleeding were the most powerful predictors of an adverse outcome. CONCLUSION: Syncope carries a high risk of death, mainly related to cardiovascular disease. This large study which has established the most powerful predictors of adverse outcomes, may enable care and resources to be better focused at high risk patients.

Identification of older patients at risk of unplanned readmission after discharge from the emergency department - comparison of two screening tools.

STUDY HYPOTHESIS: The Identification of Senior At Risk (ISAR) and the Triage Risk Stratification Tool (TRST) are the two most studied screening tools to detect high-risk patients for unplanned readmission after an emergency department (ED)-visit. Since their performance was unclear among ED-patients over 75 years, we evaluated their capacities to predict readmission at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months as well as their usefulness in avoiding unnecessary further comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in negative screened patients. METHODS: Historical cohort study with systematic routine data collection of functional status, comorbid conditions and readmission rate of patients released home after an ED-visit between 2007 and 2009 at the Geneva University Hospitals. RESULTS: 345 patients were included (mean age 84y; 63% female). Readmission rates were 25%, 38%, 49%, and 60% at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Positive ISAR (≥2/6) and TRST (≥2/5) predicted modestly unplanned readmission at each time point (AUC range: 0.607-0.664). Prediction of readmission with ISAR or TRST was not modified after adjustment for variables significantly associated with readmission (being male, having poor functional or comorbid scores). In case of negative ISAR or TRST, their high negative predictive values (NPV) would safely allow avoiding 64 useless CGA (ISAR <2: 7/64 readmissions at 1 month). CONCLUSIONS: Both ISAR and TRST tools predicted modestly unplanned readmission after an ED-visit among patients over 75 years. Nevertheless, due to their low specificity and high NPV these screening tools are useful to select elderly ED-patients who can safely return home without any further CGA.

Prehospital emergency physician activation of interventional cardiology team reduces door-to-balloon time in ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

QUESTION UNDER STUDY: To explore whether early activation of an interventional cardiology team, by prehospital emergency physicians, reduces door-to-balloon time (DTBT) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) diagnosed with prehospital ECG. DESIGN: before-after comparison. SETTING: emergency department (ED) of an urban teaching hospital with a catheterisation laboratory open continuously. STUDY SUBJECTS: patients with STEMI diagnosed in the prehospital setting or in the ED within 12 hours of symptoms. INTERVENTION: a paging system or "STEMI alarm", activated by prehospital physicians, which simultaneously notified both the catherisation laboratory and cardiology teams before the patient's arrival to the ED. OUTCOME MEASURES: DTBT and the proportion of patients with DTBT <90 minutes. RESULTS: A total of 196 patients were included; 77 before and 119 after implementation of the "STEMI alarm". Between the two periods, median DTBT decreased from 109 to 76 minutes (p <0.001) and the proportion of patients treated within 90 minutes increased from 36% to 66% (p <0.001). During intervention, the STEMI alarm was activated in 67 patients (56%). In these cases the median DTBT was 50 minutes, with 96% within 90 minutes. The alarm was inappropriately activated in 9 cases (11%). CONCLUSIONS: Catheterisation laboratory activation by a prehospital emergency physician markedly reduces DTBT in STEMI patients.

Accuracy of cardiac auscultation in the era of Doppler-echocardiography: a comparison between cardiologists and internists.

To investigate the present accuracy of cardiac auscultation, we asked a group of senior cardiologists and internists to auscultate respectively 72 and 70 selected patients and to give a diagnosis of the type of lesions heard and their degree of severity, using transthoracic Doppler-echocardiography as the standard reference. The percentage of correctly identified auscultations by cardiologists and by internists, particularly for common valvular lesions, such as aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation, was respectively 76.1 vs 64.9% (P=0.0787) for all types of lesions taken together, 57.1 vs 48%.0 (P=0.5057) for mild, 82.4 vs 76.0% (P= 0.3335) for moderate-severe and 81.8 vs 27.3% (P=0.0300) for lesions without degree of severity, which included cases of atrial septal defect (ASD) and of hypertrophic cardiomyopathiy (HCM). Our findings show that in the Doppler-echocardiographic era overall cardiac auscultatory proficiency for common valvular lesions is similar in cardiologists and internists. Cardiologists perform better than internists only when auscultating more rare cadiac lesions, such as cases of ASD or HCM.

Stepwise evaluation of syncope: a prospective population-based controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of syncope remains often unstructured. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a standardized protocol designed to improve the diagnosis of syncope. METHODS: Consecutive patients with syncope presenting to the emergency departments of two primary and tertiary care hospitals over a period of 18 months underwent a two-phase evaluation including: 1) noninvasive assessment (phase I); and 2) specialized tests (phase II), if syncope remained unexplained after phase I. During phase II, the evaluation strategy was alternately left to physicians in charge of patients (control), or guided by a standardized protocol relying on cardiac status and frequency of events (intervention). The primary outcomes were the diagnostic yield of each phase, and the impact of the intervention (phase II) measured by multivariable analysis. RESULTS: Among 1725 patients with syncope, 1579 (92%) entered phase I which permitted to establish a diagnosis in 1061 (67%) of them, including mainly reflex causes and orthostatic hypotension. Five-hundred-eighteen patients (33%) were considered as having unexplained syncope and 363 (70%) entered phase II. A cause for syncope was found in 67 (38%) of 174 patients during intervention periods, compared to 18 (9%) of 189 during control (p<0.001). Compared to control periods, intervention permitted diagnosing more cardiac (8%, vs 3%, p=0.04) and reflex syncope (25% vs 6%, p<0.001), and increased the odds of identifying a cause for syncope by a factor of 4.5 (95% CI: 2.6-8.7, p<0.001). Overall, adding the diagnostic yield obtained during phase I and phase II (intervention periods) permitted establishing the cause of syncope in 76% of patients. CONCLUSION: Application of a standardized diagnostic protocol in patients with syncope improved the likelihood of identifying a cause for this symptom. Future trials should assess the efficacy of diagnosis-specific therapy.

Prompt antibiotic administration and goal-directed hemodynamic support in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Treatment protocols targeting the rapid administration of appropriate antibiotics and hemodynamic support are now recognized as a key measure in the initial care of patients presenting with severe sepsis and septic shock. Strong evidence exists showing that time parameters, particularly in the emergency department, are as important as the nature of the treatment administered. The concept of sepsis bundles integrates evidence-based and time-sensitive issues, derived from international sepsis guidelines, to ensure that all eligible patients receive the right treatment as early as possible. RECENT FINDINGS: Several studies have demonstrated that patients resuscitated according to sepsis bundles had a significantly lower mortality. SUMMARY: It seems logical that timely and protocolized treatment for patients presenting with severe sepsis and septic shock will impact on outcome. It remains to be shown, however, whether translating evidence into clinical practice will increase adherence to the bundles and positively impact on survival.

I.v. N-acetylcysteine and emergency CT: use of serum creatinine and cystatin C as markers of radiocontrast nephrotoxicity.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of i.v. administration of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on serum levels of creatinine and cystatin C, two markers of renal function, in patients with renal insufficiency who undergo emergency contrast-enhanced CT. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty-seven adult patients with renal insufficiency who underwent emergency CT were randomized to two groups. In the first group, in addition to hydration, patients received a 900-mg injection of NAC 1 hour before and another immediately after injection of iodine contrast medium. Patients in the second group received hydration only. Serum levels of creatinine and cystatin C were measured at admission and on days 2 and 4 after CT. Nephrotoxicity was defined as a 25% or greater increase in serum creatinine or cystatin C concentration from baseline value. RESULTS: A 25% or greater increase in serum creatinine concentration was found in nine (21%) of 43 patients in the control group and in two (5%) of 44 patients in the NAC group (p = 0.026). A 25% or greater increase in serum cystatin C concentration was found in nine (22%) of 40 patients in the control group and in seven (17%) of 41 patients in the NAC group (p = 0.59). CONCLUSION: On the basis of serum creatinine concentration only, i.v. administration of NAC appears protective against the nephrotoxicity of contrast medium. No effect is found when serum cystatin C concentration is used to assess renal function. The effect of NAC on serum creatinine level remains unclear and may not be related to a renoprotective action.

Interactive triage simulator revealed important variability in both process and outcome of emergency triage.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: (1) to evaluate the performance of emergency department triage; (2) to explore the variability of the triage process; and (3) to examine the reliability of a four-level triage scale, using an interactive triage simulator. METHODS: We developed 22 interactive computerized vignettes describing patients presenting at the Emergency Department. Each vignette displayed the presenting complaint and offered the possibility to ask questions and obtain vital signs before deciding on the triage severity rating. The vignettes were rated twice by 45 nurses and 8 physicians. RESULTS: (1) The concordance between the observed triage decision and an expert-attributed emergency level was perfect in 58% of the situations. Triage acuity was overestimated in 11%, and underestimated in 31%. (2) There was a wide variability in the triage process across observers and vignettes. The mean number of questions varied from 1.77 to 18.95 across individuals, and from 3.96 to 11.60 across vignettes. (3) Finally, the test-retest reliability of our instrument was good (weighted kappa = 0.82) but the interrater reliability was moderate (weighted kappa = 0.41). CONCLUSIONS: The computerized triage simulator is an innovative tool to evaluate the process and the performance of triage and to evaluate the reliability of a triage instrument.

Abdominal plain film in patients admitted with clinical suspicion of renal colic: should it be replaced by low-dose computed tomography?

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a low-dose abdominal computed tomography (LDCT) protocol, delivering a radiation dose close to that delivered by an abdominal plain film (APF), in patients with a clinical suspicion of renal colic. METHODS: A total of 139 patients for whom an APF was requested for suspicion of renal colic were randomized into two groups. The patients in group 1 (n = 68) underwent an admission LDCT scan delivering a 2.1-mSv radiation dose to women and 1.6 mSv to men, instead of the APF. Patients in group 2 (n = 71) underwent an APF. Clinical and radiologic follow-up data were obtained for each patient. The number of additional abdominal ultrasound and CT scans performed to reach a confident final diagnosis and determine the proper treatment was compared between the two groups. A mean effective radiation dose was obtained in each group. RESULTS: Of the 68 patients in group 1 (LDCT), 10 (15%) underwent ultrasonography, 9 (13%) conventional abdominal CT, and 2 (3%) both. In group 2 (APF), the corresponding percentages were 27% (19 of 71), 28% (20 of 71), and 23% (16 of 71). Of the 68 patients in group 1, 47 (69%) did not require any additional examinations compared with 16 (23%) of the 71 patients in group 2 (P < 0.0001). The mean effective dose was 3.5 and 6.9 mSv in groups 1 and 2, respectively (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with suspicion of renal colic, replacing the admission APF with our LDCT protocol will significantly reduce the need for additional CT or ultrasonography. Also, our LDCT protocol decreases by almost 50% the mean radiation dose per patient.