NEXUS Chest CT (blunt trauma)
NEXUS Chest CT decision instrument (Rodriguez 2015): whether chest CT is indicated after blunt trauma from the seven Chest CT-All criteria; any positive suggests imaging.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Scapular tenderness
- Yes
Result: 1 positive criterion (Scapular tenderness): chest CT may be indicated.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- Not criteria
- Age over 60, intoxication and altered mental status were candidates the derivation did not retain.
What you enter
- Abnormal chest X-ray
- Rapid deceleration mechanism
- Distracting painful injury
- Chest wall tenderness
- Sternal tenderness
- Thoracic spine tenderness
- Scapular tenderness
How this is calculated
- Criteria
- 7 items (Chest CT-All): abnormal chest x-ray, rapid deceleration, distracting injury, chest-wall tenderness, sternal tenderness, thoracic-spine tenderness, scapular tenderness.
- Rule
- all negative -> chest CT can be deferred (>= 99% sensitive for major injury); any positive -> CT may be indicated.
Citation
Rodriguez RM, Langdorf MI, Nishijima D, et al. Derivation and validation of two decision instruments for selective chest CT in blunt trauma: a multicenter prospective observational study (NEXUS Chest CT). PLoS Med. 2015;12(10):e1001883. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.