Protocols, resources can reduce CT use in child appendectomy patients

Developing protocols and having resources available are a couple of ways hospitals can limit radiation exposure from CT imaging to children who have undergone appendectomies, suggest findings published March 20 in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery. A team led by Peter Juviler, MD, from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York described shared qualities among hospitals with low CT use and strategies for decreasing postoperative CT imaging for children with complicated appendicitis -- strategies that involve interdisciplinary collaboration and the promotion of radiation stewardship. “In the evaluation and management of a child recovering from complicated appendicitis, factors that distinguish high and low postoperative CT-utilization hospitals can be used to formulate radiation stewardship improvement ideas,” the Juviler team wrote. CT imaging is the go-to method for diagnosing complications after patients undergo appendectomy. For pediatric patients, this means being exposed to ionizing radiation, placing them at higher risk of developing hematologic and solid malignancies later in life. Juviler and colleagues have been leading the Pediatric Surgery Quality Collaborative (PSQC) CT reduction workgroup, which aims to evaluate factors influencing CT usage in evaluating postappendectomy abscesses among participating hospitals. The collaborative also seeks to develop tools to reduce aggregate postappendectomy CT use for children with complicated appendicitis fr...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Practice Management Subspecialties Administration Genitourinary Radiology Pediatric Radiology Source Type: news