The Effect of a Pandemic on Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography Results and Utilize in the Emergency Department

Objective: The incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) increases with COVID-19. With the pandemic, changes occur in the utilization of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), which we use in the diagnosis of PE. In our study, we investigated the impact of the pandemic on the utilized and result of CTPA. Methods: Patients over the age of 18 who applied to the emergency department between 01.03.2019 and 28.02.2021 and underwent CTPA was included in this retrospective study. Patients were separated to two groups based on the date of the first case. CTPA result and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity status were recorded. Data were compared between groups. Results: While 757(1.022%) out of 74,063 patients underwent CTPA in the pre-pandemic period, 649(1.430%) out of 45,397 patients underwent CTPA in the during-pandemic period. The PE rate in patients who underwent CTPA in the during-pandemic period was statistically significantly higher compared to the pre-pandemic period (pre-pandemic: 89(11.9%), during-pandemic: 122(19%), p<0.001). In the during-pandemic period, there was no statistically significant difference in the rate of PCR positivity in any time in patients with PE detected as a result of CTPA compared to patients without PE (PE: 14(11.5%), non-PE: 54(10.4%), p=0.725). Conclusion: Higher rate of CTPA shoot was obtained in the during-pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period. Additionally, the rate of PE detection among patients who underwent CTPA was statistically significantly higher in the during-pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period.