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Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CT scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare systems and patients alike across the USA. We seek to elucidate changes in abdominal imaging ordered from the emergency department (ED) in a healthcare system undergoing non-surge conditions in April 2020 compared to April 2019. METHODS: We perf...

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Autores principales: Griffith, April M., Ockerse, Patrick, Shaaban, Akram, Kelly, Christopher
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Springer International Publishing 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7847299/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33517547
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10140-021-01907-4
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author Griffith, April M.
Ockerse, Patrick
Shaaban, Akram
Kelly, Christopher
author_facet Griffith, April M.
Ockerse, Patrick
Shaaban, Akram
Kelly, Christopher
author_sort Griffith, April M.
collection PubMed
description PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare systems and patients alike across the USA. We seek to elucidate changes in abdominal imaging ordered from the emergency department (ED) in a healthcare system undergoing non-surge conditions in April 2020 compared to April 2019. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, observational study comparing patients undergoing CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis ordered from the ED in April 2020 vs. April 2019 at a single healthcare center. Via review of the radiology report and electronic medical record, we determined the positive or negative status of these scans. We evaluated percentages of positive CT scans and differences in outcomes, including admission rates, interventions, and mortality. RESULTS: Comparing 2020 to 2019, there was a 31.6% decrease in the number of CT scans performed from the ED. We found a higher percentage of positive CT findings, 58.2% vs. 50.8% (p = 0.025), and increased admission rates, 40.8% vs. 34.1% (p = 0.036). Differences were found in rates of appendicitis, colitis, and cholangitis. No difference was found in ICU admissions, interventions, or in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic in a region undergoing non-surge conditions, we found increased rates of positive CT scans performed from the ED for abdominal complaints with an increased percentage of hospital admissions compared to a control year. No differences in ICU admissions or rates of procedural intervention were found to suggest higher acuity of pathology on presentation. Our findings suggest appropriately decreased healthcare utilization in our study period, driven by pre-hospital patient self-selection.
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spelling pubmed-78472992021-02-01 Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CT scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints Griffith, April M. Ockerse, Patrick Shaaban, Akram Kelly, Christopher Emerg Radiol Original Article PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare systems and patients alike across the USA. We seek to elucidate changes in abdominal imaging ordered from the emergency department (ED) in a healthcare system undergoing non-surge conditions in April 2020 compared to April 2019. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, observational study comparing patients undergoing CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis ordered from the ED in April 2020 vs. April 2019 at a single healthcare center. Via review of the radiology report and electronic medical record, we determined the positive or negative status of these scans. We evaluated percentages of positive CT scans and differences in outcomes, including admission rates, interventions, and mortality. RESULTS: Comparing 2020 to 2019, there was a 31.6% decrease in the number of CT scans performed from the ED. We found a higher percentage of positive CT findings, 58.2% vs. 50.8% (p = 0.025), and increased admission rates, 40.8% vs. 34.1% (p = 0.036). Differences were found in rates of appendicitis, colitis, and cholangitis. No difference was found in ICU admissions, interventions, or in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic in a region undergoing non-surge conditions, we found increased rates of positive CT scans performed from the ED for abdominal complaints with an increased percentage of hospital admissions compared to a control year. No differences in ICU admissions or rates of procedural intervention were found to suggest higher acuity of pathology on presentation. Our findings suggest appropriately decreased healthcare utilization in our study period, driven by pre-hospital patient self-selection. Springer International Publishing 2021-01-30 2021 /pmc/articles/PMC7847299/ /pubmed/33517547 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10140-021-01907-4 Text en © American Society of Emergency Radiology 2021 This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
spellingShingle Original Article
Griffith, April M.
Ockerse, Patrick
Shaaban, Akram
Kelly, Christopher
Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CT scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints
title Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CT scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints
title_full Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CT scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints
title_fullStr Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CT scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints
title_full_unstemmed Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CT scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints
title_short Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on CT scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints
title_sort effect of the covid-19 pandemic on ct scans ordered from the emergency department for abdominal complaints
topic Original Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7847299/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33517547
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10140-021-01907-4
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