Untitled

Abstract

Introduction : In-patient requests for CTPA should be performed and reported within one working day of receipt and acceptance of the request form, with a target of 90%.Methods: 400 CTPA scans over a three-month period were retrospectively recorded. We noted: Date and time of the request, vetting, scan and report as well as the presence of a PE, Wells score and d-dimer result.Results and discussion: Scans were reported within 24 hours the request in 51.7% of cases. The target is only reached within 96 hours of the request. The average time from request to report, request to vetting, vetting to scan and scan to report, was 35.3, 11.7, 19.39, and 1.66 hours respectively. There was no significant difference for scans requested out of hours between 17.00 and 09.00. A PE was diagnosed in 11.3% of cases. The average time from vetting to scan is the largest portion of the time from request to report. The British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines suggest a Wells score ≥ 4 does not require a d-dimer for which we were non-compliant in 56% of cases. It also states a CTPA should not be requested without a positive d-dimer if the Well's score is <4 for which we were non-compliant in 6.3% of instances. Conclusion:a. Scrutinise the organisation of the CTPA service.