rapid deceleration mechanism (fall >6 meters [20 feet] or motorized vehicle accident >65 km [40 miles] per hour);
chest pain;
intoxication;
distracting injury;
tenderness to chest wall palpation; and
abnormal alertness/mental status.
NEXUS CT Major:
distracting injury;
chest wall tenderness;
sternal tenderness;
thoracic spine tenderness; and
scapular tenderness.
NEXUS CT All:
CT Major criteria plus rapid deceleration mechanism.
NEXUS: National Emergency X-radiography Utilization Studies; CT: computed tomography.
Reproduced from: Rodriguez RM, Hendey GW, Mower WR. Selective chest imaging for blunt trauma patients: The National Emergency X-radiography Utilization Studies (NEXUS-chest algorithm). Am J Emerg Med 2017; 35:164. Illustration used with the permission of Elsevier Inc. Al rights reserved.