Evaluation of the Spiral Chest CT Scan Findings in Patients with Multiple Trauma

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the spiral chest computed tomography (CT) scan findings in patients with multipletrauma during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This retrospective study was performed on multiple trauma patients admitted to a tertiary hospital inthe north of Iran in 2020. All patients with multiple trauma who had undergone a chest spiral CT were includedin this study. Furthermore, the data analysis was performed through descriptive and analytical statistics usingSPSS software.Results: A total of 600 patients were included over the study period. The mean age of patients was 48.2±20.3years. Of the total, 496 (65.3%) patients had blunt chest injuries, and 104 (34.7%) had penetrating chest injuries.Falling was the most common mechanical cause of chest trauma in 270 patients (45%). Surgical interventionswere performed in 110 (18.3%) patients. A total of 276 (46%) patients had chest injuries identified by CTscans. Many patients (15.6%) had ground-glass lung opacity in the CT scan reports. Lung consolidation,pneumothorax, lung contusion, hemothorax, and rib fractures were the most common.Conclusion: Due to the high frequency of typical findings in spiral CT scan examinations, obtaining a reliablehistory of trauma severity, injury mechanism, and a detailed physical examination is recommended beforeprescribing a CT scan for patients.

Keywords

• multiple trauma
• tomography
• spiral computed
• emergency medicine
• covid-19