Use of CT spikes in emergency department

Monday, November 29 | 11:50 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | SSC07-09 | Room S102D

The use of CT in hospital emergency departments has increased at a higher rate than the technology's use in other settings, according to researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

In this session, David Larson, MD, and colleagues will present a study that investigated nationwide trends and factors associated with CT use in the emergency department using data from 1995 to 2007 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys.

During the study time frame, the number of emergency room visits during which patients were imaged with CT increased 84%, from 2.7 million to 16.2 million, an average 16% increase per year. Of this growth, 3.3% was due to increased patient volume, while the remaining 12.7% was due to increased CT use.

Use of CT in the emergency department had not begun to taper by 2007, Larson's team concluded: Factors that contribute to its increased use prevailed over those that limit its use.