Back to Search
Start Over
Effect of teleradiology upon pattern of transfer of head injured patients from a rural general hospital to a neurosurgical referral centre
- Source :
- Emergency Medicine Journal. 24:550-552
- Publication Year :
- 2007
- Publisher :
- BMJ, 2007.
-
Abstract
- Objective: To assess the effect of teleradiology upon the need for transfer of head injured victims requiring hospitalisation but referred initially to a rural level 2 trauma centre without neurosurgical capacity. Methods: Head injured patients requiring hospitalisation, admitted to a rural level 2 trauma centre between August 2003 and August 2005, were identified. A digitalised copy of the computed tomographic (CT) scan was transferred to the neurosurgical referral centre via teleradiology and was available for review by the neurosurgeon on-call, who then, together with the trauma surgeon in the rural level 2 trauma centre, decided whether to transfer the patient to the neurosurgical referral centre. Results: Of 209 trauma victims with neurosurgical pathology in need of hospitalisation, 126 (60.2%) were immediately transferred while 83 (39.7%) of the patients were hospitalised in the rural level 2 trauma centre for observation. Two (2.4%) failed the intent to treat locally. One patient, suffering from multi-trauma, was stabilised after damage control laparotomy only to succumb to an enlarging epidural haematoma. Another patient was transferred 2 days after admission because of difficulty in clinical evaluation due to a previously existing neurological disorder, but no active treatment was necessary. All other 81 patients recovered uneventfully. Conclusions: Selective head injured patients with pathological CT scan may be safely managed in level 2 trauma centres. A committed trauma team in the rural trauma centre, neurosurgical consultation and availability of a teleradiology system are requisites. Currently existing transfer criteria should be carefully re-evaluated.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Patient Transfer
medicine.medical_specialty
Adolescent
Teleradiology
Hospitals, Rural
Neurosurgery
Neurological disorder
Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
Trauma Centers
Craniocerebral Trauma
Humans
Medicine
Trauma team
Israel
General hospital
Child
Referral and Consultation
Aged
Retrospective Studies
Neurosurgical referral
Intention-to-treat analysis
business.industry
Infant
General Medicine
Middle Aged
medicine.disease
Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care
Child, Preschool
Emergency medicine
Emergency Medicine
Original Article
Female
Active treatment
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14720213 and 14720205
- Volume :
- 24
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Emergency Medicine Journal
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....9a983ab6389117c5f2d14dac82178977