ArticleBMC emergency medicine2026
Radiological detection rate and clinical impact of thoracoabdominal computed tomography in suspected infection in the emergency department: a retrospective cohort study.
Article in BMC emergency medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIdentifying the anatomical source of infection in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected sepsis is challenging. This study evaluates the radiological detection rate of thoracoabdominal computed tomography (TACT) and its association with downstream clinical management.
methodsIn this retrospective cohort study, 267 adult ED patients who underwent TACT for suspected severe infection were evaluated. The primary outcome was the radiological detection of an infectious focus, confirmed by a composite reference standard (CT findings, microbiology, clinical follow-up, and treatment response). Demographic data, quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) scores, and biomarkers were analyzed alongside clinical outcomes, including hospital admission and the need for interventional procedures.
resultsThe radiological detection rate of TACT for a definitive infectious focus was 41.2% (n = 110), while non-infectious acute pathologies mimicking sepsis were identified in 18.0% (n = 48). Thoracic infections were the most common (54.5%). Multivariate logistic regression identified a qSOFA score ≥ 2 (OR = 3.14; p = 0.009) and elevated C-reactive protein (OR = 1.009; p = 0.034) as independent predictors of a positive CT scan. Patients with a radiologically confirmed infectious focus underwent source-control interventions more frequently than those with normal CT findings (14.8% vs. 2.9%; OR = 5.72, p = 0.014). The detection of any pathological finding on CT was strongly associated with hospital admission.
conclusionTACT is a valuable diagnostic tool in suspected infections. High qSOFA scores and CRP levels correlate with a higher probability of detecting an infectious focus on CT. Beyond primary diagnosis, positive TACT findings are strongly associated with hospital admission and facilitate targeted source-control interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.