A Multicenter, Randomized Study of Early Assessment by CT Scanning in Severely Injured Trauma Patients

Computed tomography (CT) scanning has become essential in the early diagnostic phase of trauma care because of its high diagnostic accuracy. The introduction of multi-slice CT scanners and infrastructural improvements made 'total body' CT scanning (TBCT) technically feasible and its usage is currently becoming common practice in several trauma centers. However, literature provides limited evidence whether immediate 'total body' CT scanning leads to better clinical outcome then conventional radiographic imaging supplemented with selective CT scanning in trauma patients. The aim of the REACT-2 trial is to determine the value of immediate TBCT scanning in trauma patients. The investigators hypothesize that immediate 'total body' CT scanning during the primary survey of severely injured trauma patients has positive effects on patient outcome compared with standard conventional ATLS based radiological imaging supplemented with selective CT scanning.