Computed tomography of the brain in the emergency department: how often is tracheal intubation and general anaesthesia required?

摘要

As a result of national guidance in the UK, the number of computed tomography brains performed in patients with minor head injury has increased significantly. The aim of this survey was to establish the requirement for general anaesthesia and tracheal intubation in the management of emergency department patients requiring an urgent computed tomography of the brain. About 300 consecutive scans in emergency department patients were reviewed. The majority (>90%) did not require anaesthetic airway management despite an overall acute scan diagnosis rate of around 25% and 30 day mortality of 10%.