Low-dose CT with automatic tube current modulation, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction, and low tube voltage for the diagnosis of renal colic: impact of body mass index.

Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on dose, diagnostic performance, and image quality of a low-dose CT examination for renal colic.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included all patients who underwent a low-dose CT examination for renal colic performed during the year 2012 with automatic tube current modulation, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction, and a low tube voltage (kV). Three readers independently reviewed all images for the presence of renal colic and evaluated diagnostic confidence and image quality.

Prehospital administration of hydroxocobalamin for smoke inhalation-associated cyanide poisoning: 8 years of experience in the Paris Fire Brigade.

Introduction: This article reports the results of a retrospective study of 8 years of experience of the Paris Fire Brigade with the prehospital use of hydroxocobalamin.

Methods: The head physician at the Paris Fire Brigade extracted and summarized data from standardized forms completed at the fire scene and, when available, hospital reports to assess survival status and clinical parameters associated with the use of hydroxocobalamin for each patient who received it for smoke inhalation-associated cyanide poisoning from 1995 to 2003.

Results: Of the 101 patients administered hydroxocobalamin, 30 survived, 42 died (17 at the fire scene and 25 at the intensive-care unit), and survival status was not known in the remaining 29 patients.