Pierre-Marie Roy

The wide availability of CT scans for patients in emergency departments generally improves diagnostic pathways, but its increased use may also pose significant public health challenges that include the risk of cancer from cumulative radiation exposure, overdiagnosis and overtreatment of insignificant diseases, increased emergency department stay, and associated costs. Suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) is a prime example of these issues.

Research in context Evidence before this study Hypoxaemic illnesses, including childhood pneumonia, are a leading cause of death worldwide. Supplemental O2 is an essential therapy for pneumonia but is not always available in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Previous studies have shown that solar energy can be used to concentrate O2 from ambient air, providing a method of O2 generation that is independent of grid electricity.

Abstract : The diagnosis of PE remains difficult in 2023 because the signs and symptoms are not sensible nor specific. The consequences of potential diagnostic errors can be dramatic, whether by default or by excess. Furthermore, the achievement of a simple diagnostic strategy, based on clinical probability assessment, D-dimer measurement and computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) leads to a new challenge for PE diagnosis: over-testing.