Chest radiography in intensive care: an irreplaceable survey?

Abstract

Purpose: This study evaluated the impact and value of bedside chest X-ray in intensive care units.

Materials and methods: This observational study considered the bedside chest X-rays performed on 258 consecutive patients (160 men, 98 women; mean age, 58 years) admitted to intensive care units. Stratification of patients according to the reason for hospitalisation and analysis of the reasons for chest X-ray examinations were performed to assess the diagnostic efficacy (DE).

Results: DE for chest X-rays was 84.5%, with 15.5% of tests remaining unchanged over time. Patient stratification by disease indicated that the DE was 85.27% in transplant, 90.79% in postoperative care after general surgery, 83.89% in respiratory failure, 82.42% in polytrauma, 90.54% in postoperative care after neurosurgery, 86.6% in postoperative care after vascular surgery, 83.3% in neurological conditions and 93.4% in other diseases.

Conclusions: Chest X-rays performed at the bedside are the most widely used imaging method in the follow-up of critically ill patients. DE is approximately 84.5%. Radiologists should maintain familiarity with the interpretation of this examination.