CTPA ordering trends in local emergency departments: are they increasing and did they increase as a result of COVID-19?
Emerg Radiol
; 30(2): 197-202, 2023 Apr.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2269767
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Ordering trends for computed tomographic pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) studies by local emergency departments were assessed, along with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these ordering trends and CTPA positivity rates.METHODS:
A retrospective quantitative analysis was performed on all CTPA studies ordered between February 2018 - January 2022 by three local tertiary care emergency rooms to investigate for pulmonary embolism. Data collected from the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic was compared to the two years prior to the pandemic to assess for significant changes in ordering trends and positivity rates.RESULTS:
The overall number of CTPA studies ordered increased from 534 studies in 2018-2019 to 657 in 2021-2022 and the rate of positive diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism varied between 15.8% to 19.5% over the four years studied. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of CTPA studies ordered when comparing the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic to the two years immediately prior; however, the positivity rate was significantly higher during the first two years of the pandemic.CONCLUSION:
Over the studied period from 2018-2022, the overall number of CTPA studies ordered by local emergency departments has increased, in line with literature reports from other locations. There was also a correlation between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and CTPA positivity rates, possibly secondary to the prothrombotic nature of this infection or the increase in sedentary lifestyles during lockdown periods.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pulmonary Embolism
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Emerg Radiol
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S10140-023-02124-x
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