EVALUATION OF DIAGNOSTIC RADIATION DOSES DUE TO COMPUTORIZE TOMOGRAPHY IN ADULT BLUNT TRAUMA PATIENTS IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the amount of ionizing radiation received by adult blunt trauma patients at an university hospital emergency department during the first 24 hours of their care. Methods: This retrospective clinical study included 275 consecutive patients presenting to the Department of Emergency Medicine, with symptoms of trauma between April 2011 and April 2012. Individual radiation dose reports calculated by the computed tomography (CT) scanner were used to determine the radiation doses from each CT procedure. The median effective dose of radiation (millisieverts) was calculated for the first 24 hours of hospitalization. Results: The patients divided as major and minor trauma group. As a minor trauma group, we enrolled 139 (50.5%) patients and major trauma group 136(49.5%). Significant differences were observed between patients with major and minor trauma group with respect to radiation doses. There was a statistically significant difference in radiation exposure between patients with an Injury severity score (ISS) greater than 16 (10.64 +/- 92 mSv.) versus those with an ISS equal to or less than 16 (2.2 +/- 5.4 mSv.) Radiation doses levels were significantly higher in major trauma group than in minor trauma group (p<0.00I). Conclusion: Trauma patients meeting are exposed to clinically important radiation doses from diagnostic CT imaging during the first 24 hours of their care. Emergency physicians should be aware of the radiation dose administered with essential imaging modalities and that radiation dose is a cumulative risk for their patients.