Analysis of radiation exposure in trauma patients at a level I trauma center.

Background: Trauma patients are exposed to potentially high levels of low-dose radiation during radiologic studies.

Objectives: To assess the cumulative effective dose (CED) of radiation exposure (RE) in 177 successive patients admitted to a trauma service from January 1 through February 28, 2006.

Results: Patients received a total of 1505 radiographs and 400 computed tomography (CT) scans in the study period.