CT pulmonary angiography in the inpatients: A 5-year retrospective view at the end of COVID-19 public health emergency

To retrospectively evaluate the trends in utilization and results of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA study) for detection of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in the hospital inpatients during different phases of COVID-19 public health emergency. We conducted an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved retrospective review of CTPA studies for our hospital inpatients in the years from 2019 to 2023, ranging from the prepandemic year (2019) to the year coinciding with the end of public health declarations (2023). Collected characteristics included patient age, patient sex, and result of the study. The utilization of CTPA studies for inpatients was higher in 2020 to 2023, compared to 2019 (3.8% in 2023 compared to 2.4% in 2019, P < .001). The increase in utilization was also statistically significant in each group, when stratified by age and sex (OR = 1.46 for female, OR = 1.71 for male, OR = 1.93 for elderly, and OR = 1.29 for non-elderly inpatients in 2023, compared to 2019). The positivity rate of acute PE in the inpatients was overall higher in 2021, 2022, and 2023, compared to 2019 (for example, 18.5% in 2023 compared to 14.3% in 2019, P = .01). When stratified by age and sex, only the non-elderly patients continued to have a significantly higher rate of acute PE in 2023, compared to 2019 (OR = 1.39). While studies spanning longer time frames and involving multiple institutions are needed to understand and generalize this conclusion, we conclude that the utilization and positivity rates of CTPA studies in inpatients remains high at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency.