title: Evaluation of a dual-room sliding gantry CT concept for workflow optimisation in polytrauma and regular in- and outpatient management.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reveal the impact on workflow from introducing a dual-room sliding gantry CT to the trauma room for polytrauma and regularly scheduled in- outpatients with regard to efficiency and degree of capacity utilisation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Time analysis was performed for 30 polytrauma patients each in 2 different trauma room settings, the new trauma room comprising a sliding gantry CT, the old one a stationary single-room CT. Complete trauma room and diagnostic workup times were manually measured and compared for both groups. In a third scenario, the number of CT scans performed with one single sliding gantry CT and the two-room concept was compared to the number of CT scans performed on two separate regular CT units in a 5 days clinical routine sample.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients demographics and type of CT examinations were comparable for all patient groups. The median time from patient arrival in the trauma room until beginning of CT scanning was 6 min shorter for the sliding gantry CT group (21 vs.15 min). Sliding gantry CT embedded in a two-room solution achieved 252 CT scans in 5 working days, compared to 250 CT scans on two separate regular CT units with the same man power.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sliding gantry CT in the trauma room allows for significant time saving in the diagnostic workup of polytrauma patients and faster resumption of the regular in- outpatient's CT schedule is possible. With the same man power, the dual-room solution is able to generate the same throughput as two separate CT units.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frellesen
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boettcher
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Julian L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wichmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drieske
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: J Matthias
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kerl
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lehnert
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nau
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Geiger
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wutzler
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Mathematical Modelling, Clinic of the Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Hanns
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ackermann
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Vogl
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic of the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. Electronic address: ralfwbauer@aol.com.
authors.forename: Ralf W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Bauer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010045:Outpatients; D010361:Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D057188:Workflow; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Polytrauma; Sliding gantry CT; Time; Trauma room; Workflow optimisation