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Utilization of whole body computed tomography in polytrauma patients
Author(s) -
Dozeman Emily T.,
Prittie Jennifer E.,
Fischetti Anthony J.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of veterinary emergency and critical care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.886
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1476-4431
pISSN - 1479-3261
DOI - 10.1111/vec.12918
Subject(s) - medicine , polytrauma , emergency department , radiology , pelvis , pleural effusion , surgery , anesthesia , psychiatry
Objective To determine the safety, feasibility, and utility of whole body computed tomography (WBCT) in polytrauma patients. A second objective was to describe the utilization of the VetMouse Trap for sedated WBCT in polytrauma patients. Methods A prospective, observational study in a high‐volume private practice. Any cat or dog weighing <20 kg that presented to the emergency department following a polytrauma was eligible. Patients were given analgesia and sedation prior to placement in the VetMouse Trap. A WBCT was then performed. Results A total of 16 patients (8 dogs and 8 cats) met inclusion criteria. All patients presented with blunt trauma; 3 also had evidence of penetrating wounds. Five (31.25%) patients met inclusion criteria for WBCT based on their neurological evaluation. Five (31.5%) were non‐ambulatory with suspicion of orthopedic injury, and 37.5% met additional criteria for WBCT. The most common areas of injury were head (43.7%), lungs (25%), and pelvis (25%). Four patients (25%) had evidence of cavitary effusion that was not seen on focused assessment using sonography for trauma (FAST) scan. No patient had any adverse events during the CT. Conclusion This study demonstrated successful WBCT imaging of the sedated small animal polytrauma patient with the VetMouse Trap.