Document Overview

Document Title

Major Blunt Trauma

Authoring Society

American College of Radiology

Document Publication Date

Feb 27, 2026

Page Last Reviewed/Updated

Apr 17, 2026

Document Type

Guideline

Country of Publication

United States

Full Text Freely Available

Yes

Full Text Guideline

www.jacr.org/article/S1546-1440(26)00057-8/fulltext

Source Citation

Expert Panel on Polytrauma Imaging; Lee JT, Camacho MA, Diercks DB, Kalva SP, Khan Suheb MZ, Khosa F, Lumba-Brown A, Mandell S, Ptak T, Sliker CW, Donnelly EF. ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Major Blunt Trauma: Update 2025. J Am Coll Radiol. 2026 Feb 27:S1546-1440(26)00057-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2026.01.030. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41758104.

Document Scope, Criteria, and Use Cases

Document Objectives

Trauma remains the leading cause of mortality in the United States for those <45 years of age, and it is the fourth leading cause of death overall. Polytrauma is defined as an injury to at least two body parts, including the head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, or an extremity, with any one or a combination of these injuries being potentially fatal. This document covers imaging of major blunt trauma or polytrauma resulting in multiple organ injuries. Burn injuries, and injuries to pediatric patients are excluded. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision process support the systematic analysis of the medical literature from peer reviewed journals. Established methodology principles such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE are adapted to evaluate the evidence. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User Manual provides the methodology to determine the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where peer reviewed literature is lacking or equivocal, experts may be the primary evidentiary source available to formulate a recommendation.

Scope

Assessment and Screening

Keywords

appropriate use criteria, blunt injury, fall from height, motor vehicle collision, polytrauma, trauma

Inclusion Criteria

Male, Female, Adult, Older Adult

Health Care Settings

Ambulatory, Radiology Services

Intended Users

Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Physician, Physician Assistant, Radiology Technologist