Chest radiography in intensive care: an irreplaceable survey?

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