Utility of computed tomography brain scans in intubated patients with overdose

Describe the yield of computed tomography brain (CTB) scans in patients intubated for drug overdose. Retrospective descriptive study using existing registry data from two Australian EDs between February 2021 and June 2022. Two hundred and six patients were intubated; 159 (77%) received a post-intubation CTB scan. Of these, 38 out of 159 (24%) had a documented indication (i.e. head injury and seizure) for their scans, with a yield of 5.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5-17%). Of the 121 out of 159 (76%) patients without an indication, the yield of CTB was 0% (95% CI = 0-3%). Routine imaging of patients intubated for overdose without clinical indication is unjustified.