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OBJECTIVES: To determine the perspective of final-year medical students on the use of computed tomography (CT) in patients with sepsis. METHODS: A total of 207 questionnaires were distributed to final-year medical students at a large university medical center, and 113 returned questionnaires met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. Questions referred to sepsis guidelines, CT indications, and the use of contrast agents. Control variables included a level of practical experience as a final-year student (trimester of student's practical year) and previous radiological experience. Statistical hypothesis tests such as the Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were performed. RESULTS: The majority of participating students, 85% (n = 91/107), considered a Systemic Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score ≥ 2 as a diagnostic criterion for sepsis. The presence of ≥ 2 positive systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria was considered relevant for diagnosing sepsis by 34% (n = 34/100). Ninety-nine percent (n = 64/65) of the participants who fully agreed with a SOFA score ≥ 2 being relevant for diagnosing sepsis would also use it as an indication for a CT scan. Seventy-six percent (n = 78/103) of the students rated a known severe allergic reaction to contrast agents as an absolute contraindication for its administration. Ninety-five percent (n = 78/82) considered radiation exposure as problematic in CT examinations, especially in repeat CTs. CONCLUSION: Most final-year medical students were familiar with the sepsis criteria. Still, some referred to outdated diagnostic criteria. Participants saw the ability to plan further patient management based on CT as a major benefit. Most participants were aware of radiation as a risk of CT. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: More detailed knowledge of CT in septic patients should be implemented in the medical curriculum. Retraining of medical students could help increase student confidence potentially improving patient care. KEY POINTS: 1. Whereas the majority of final-year medical students were familiar with sepsis criteria, some referred to outdated diagnostic criteria. 2. Participants saw the ability to plan further patient management based on CT as a major benefit. 3. Most participants were aware of radiation as a risk of CT.
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OBJECTIVE: Patients with severe infection or sepsis require fast identification of the focus and prompt eradication. This study aims at investigating the role of body computed tomography (CT) and identifying outcome predictors in a general ward setting of patients with obscure infection. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 196 consecutive body CTs acquired in 179 patients with obscure infection, i.e. severe infection or sepsis from general wards with unclear focus, over 12-months in the year 2018. Reports were extracted using a full-text search in the radiological information system (RIS) of a large university medical center. CT reports were classified according to diagnostic confidence of the reader (i.e. certain, likely, possible, no focus), and correlated with clinical and laboratory parameters. The discharge diagnosis was set as the diagnostic reference standard. Contingency tables were prepared for statistical analysis with Chi-squared test amongst other analyses and the calculation of AUC statistics. RESULTS: In 133 out of 196 (67.9 %) body CTs from general wards with severe infection or sepsis, body CT identified an infectious focus. 90 % of the infections were located in the chest, abdomen, and genitourinary tract, in descending order. In 76.5 % (150 of 196) of examinations, CT correctly predicted the final infectious source. The positive predictive value (PPV) of a CT-detected focus was 84.2 % (95 % CI 79.0%-88.3%). A high diagnostic confidence of the reader resulted in a PPV of 96.4 % (95 % CI 87.4%-99.1%) while a low confidence resulted in a PPV of 63.3 % (95 % CI 48.2%-76.3%). CONCLUSION: In patients with obscure infection treated in general wards, body CT detects the infectious source with a high positive predictive value. Focus detection accuracy highly depends on the diagnostic confidence of the CT reader.
