Emergency Urgent Care: When to Go to an ER: Imaging Services
One of the reasons why visiting an ER is preferable during medical emergencies is because they have all the requisite equipment to help in the accurate diagnosis of your condition, and especially when it comes to radiology. The radiology specialty that is focused on diagnosing acute illnesses and injuries in emergency room patients is known as emergency radiology. It plays an important role in ER services as it enables physicians get an accurate diagnosis of your problem, allowing them to come up with an appropriate treatment plan for you. While ER physicians are highly skilled and experienced, as is the case for those over at the excellent frontlineer.com, they are cognizant of the fact that it may not always be possible to properly diagnose a condition using physical exams alone. It is sometimes necessary to ascertain the existence as well as the extent of internal injuries and conditions, which can only be made possible with the help of emergency radiology. Emergency radiology not only aims to make accurate diagnoses, it also aims to do so within the shortest time possible as time is usually of the essence in an ER as ER patients require prompt treatment. This article will look to highlight the various imaging services offered in an ER as well as the conditions each of them help diagnose so that you can know when to go to an ER for the same.
One of the imaging services offered in an ER is digital x-rays which are more reliable than traditional x-rays as not only do they give results quicker as there is no need to process scans, the fact that scans are stored digitally increases accessibility as far as the scans are concerned, while also making it nearly impossible to lose scans. Digital x-rays also reduce radiation exposure by as much as 25% and eve more, as is discussed in detail over at frontlineer.com. Digital X-rays come in handy when diagnosing a number of emergency conditions including fractures. If you have suffered an open or compound fracture, or a fracture in the upper leg, pelvis, hip, sternum or back, then you should go to an ER for imaging services. Other than fractures, digital x-rays also help in diagnosis of other medical emergencies such as bowel obstruction, severe pneumonia, collapsed lung, swallowed objects, among others; if you are suffering from any of these, then you should go to an ER for imaging services with the help of digital x-rays.
Another of the imaging services offered in an ER is a CT scan, or a computerized tomography scan in full, also known as a CAT scan. CT scans make use of x-rays to generate detailed cross-sectional images of your body, known as slices. They are able to detect issues from all over the body and they can come in handy when diagnosing fractures, blood clots, internal bleeding, heart disease among many others, and as such if you have any of these issues, you should head over to an ER for imaging services. Over at the excellent frontlineer.com, they have 64-slice CT scanners which are more accurate than traditional 16-slice CT scanners, while also capturing more images. CT scans eliminate the need for exploratory surgery which is why they are so useful in an ER setting as there is no time for such surgery given that in most cases, ER patients are in a life-threatening situation and require immediate treatment. In an ER, CT scans are commonly used for strokes and other issues in the brain as they provide a detailed view of the brain. They also come in handy when checking for issues in the spine such as fractures.
Another of the imaging services offered in an ER is ultrasound imaging, also known as sonography. This utilizes high-frequency sound waves to get detailed images from inside the body; it doesn’t utilize any radiation. It is done to examine internal organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, and the uterus among others as well as blood vessels such as the aorta and soft tissues as well. In an emergency room setting, ultrasounds come in handy in diagnosing issues with organs, blood vessels and soft tissues such as appendicitis, gallstones, kidney stones, abdominal aortic aneurysms, potential miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies and many others, making this imaging service crucial in ERs, including the highly rated frontlineer.com. Another imaging service offered in an ER is the use or MRIs, magnetic resonance imaging which uses magnetic fields and radio waves to obtain detailed images of the body. An MRI can be used to get a detailed diagnosis of the brain and its blood vessels, the spine, various blood vessels such as aorta, body organs such as the lungs, heart among others as well as musculoskeletal system components such as joints like the knee, wrist among others. MRIs therefore come in handy in an ER setting in diagnosing issues such as severe fractures and sprains and strains, issues and infections in organs, issues in the brain such as aneurysms among others.
As ever, for more information on this and other related topics as well as the best ER imaging services, then make sure you head over to the excellent frontlineer.com
