Anatomical Area

Red Category Conditions*

Complete Alert within 1 hour

CNS

Cerebral hemorrhage/hematoma

Brain tumor (mass effect)

Acute stroke

 Acute obstructive hydrocephalus

Depressed skull fracture

Cervical spine fracture

Spinal cord compression

Orbital injury

Cerebral aneurysm

Neck

Epiglotitis

Carotid artery dissection

Critical carotid stenosis

Paratracheal abscess

Breast

Breast abscess

Chest

Tension pneumothorax

New pneumothorax

Aortic dissection

Pulmonary embolism

Ruptured aneursym or impending rupture

Mediatstinal emphysema

New pneumonia

New evidence of TB

Abdomen

Free Air in abdomen (if no recent surgeries within seven days)

Ischemic bowel

Appendicitis

Portal venous air

Volvulus

Traumatic visceral injury

Retroperitoneal hemorrhage New or active bleeding

Bowel obstruction

Aortic aneurysm, leaking

Hemoperitoneum, New &unexpected

Uro-genital

Ectopic pregnancy

Placental abruption (2^nd & 3^rd trimester)

Placental Previa near term

Testicular or ovarian Torsion

Fetal demise

Vascular

new DVT or vascular occlusion

pseudoaneurysm

new arteriovenous fistula

Bone

Any new spinal fracture involving mechanical or neurological stability

Suspected septic arthritis or osteomyelitis

Any new spinal tumor affecting mechanical or neurological stability

New Joint dislocation

General

Significant Line/ or Tube misplacement (e.g. feeding tube in airway)

Any significant test re-read, resulting in a different diagnostic impression

Unexpected abscess

 NUCS

Liver function study with HIDA agents, showing "acute cholecystitis" or "bile leak"

Acute gastrointestinal blood loss imaging

Pulmonary perfusion imaging with aerosol ventilation imaging

Brain imaging vascular flow (for brain death)

Kidney imaging with vascular flow and function (Renal Transplant Evaluation)- with acute abnormality

Testicular imaging with vascular flow- with acute abnormality

Radiologists only need only to treat these conditions as 'critical' if:

i) There is a high degree of certainty that the patient has one of these conditions, and

ii) There is a reasonable chance that the ordering provider was not aware of the condition when the test was ordered.