Screening for abdominal injury prior to emergent extra-abdominal trauma surgery: a prospective study.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the necessity of abdominal screening with computed tomography (CT) in awake and alert blunt trauma patients that require emergent extra-abdominal trauma surgery.

Methods: All blunt trauma patients admitted to a Level I trauma center that required emergent extra-abdominal trauma surgery were entered in a prospective study during the period from April 2001 to June 2003. Awake and alert blunt trauma patients (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score > or =14) with a normal abdominal physical examination requiring extra-abdominal emergent surgery were entered in the study.