The outpatient radiology office setting is a safe arena for patients to undergo imaging studies and selected interventional procedures, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Lisa R. Shah-Patel, MD, and colleagues from the department of radiology at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City sought to evaluate the frequency, types and severity of adverse events that occur in the freestanding outpatient radiology office setting and discuss the actions taken for patient treatment and subsequent triage.

The researchers reviewed adverse event records from a freestanding outpatient radiology office from January 2003 through December 2006. They grouped data into different modalities, including CT, MRI, PET/CT and interventional radiology. Adverse reactions and events were reviewed, including what, if any, immediate treatment was provided in the office, how the patient responded, whether the patient was discharged home and whether emergency medical services were called.

Shah-Patel and colleagues evaluated a total of 106,800 patients over four years, among whom 59 experienced (0.06 percent) adverse events. They found that 76 percent of the patients were treated in the office and were discharged home or returned to work; and 31 percent of the patients required assistance from emergency medical services.

The researchers concluded that medical personnel in office settings are able to assess and treat those patients experiencing adverse events and can appropriately judge whether further aid is needed for patients in distress via emergency medical services or hospital care. They wrote that "although adverse events did occur in a freestanding outpatient radiology office, the doctors and support personnel were adequately trained to assess and treat the patients experiencing these events."

The authors also said that their study demonstrates the importance for an outpatient center to be well equipped with medical supplies and devices, including sharp disposal containers and standard first-aid supplies, such as bandages and gauze, diphenhydramine, epinephrine and normal saline. Plus, they recommended that physicians and physician assistants are both trained in basic life support and advanced cardiac life support.

Shah-Patel and colleagues concluded that their "data show that potentially life-threatening events can occur in the freestanding outpatient radiology office setting, but this still can be a safe arena for patients to undergo imaging studies and interventional procedures, because personnel can adequately identify adverse events and manage patients effectively."