Success of a Safe and Simple Algorithm to Reduce Use of CT Pulmonary Angiography in the Emergency Department

Abstract

This article described the implementation of an educational program to decrease provider ordering of computed tomography pulmonary angiograms (CTPA) and encourage use of ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scanning for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). The authors' impetus was a desire to decrease radiation exposure to patients, given that the radiation dose from CTPA is about five times greater than from V/Q scanning. Based on the literature, they argue that in most cases V/Q scans are as good as CTPA for detecting PE and thus should be preferred.