BAT

[ccrone at charter.net]

I work at a small, rural ER (about 18, 000 annual ED volume).  We have no FAST/Ultrasound immediately available at all times.  If we have a case of blunt abdominal trauma & order a CT scan, our radiologist demands that we have the patient drink oral contrast & wait 2 hours for the CT to be performed.  It then takes another 30 minutes for the report to be obtained.    What do other institutions currently do regarding the use of oral contrast when obtaining abdominal/pelvic CT's for blunt abdominal trauma in a hemodynamically stable patient-- with suspected internal injuries?

Thanks