Chest Radiographs in Surgical Intensive Care Patients: A Valuable "Routine"

Authors

H. Mathilda Horst
Brian Fagan
Gordon H. Beute

Abstract

A total of 411 "routine" chest films were evaluated to determine their clinical value for surgical intensive care unit patients. There were 138 unexpected findings on 112 chest radiographs. These unexpected findings were equally divided between pulmonary problems (72) and device malposition (66). Of the unexpected findings, 30% were considered potentially life-threatening. On the basis of this study, we recommend "routine" chest films for monitoring in critically ill surgical intensive care patients.

Recommended Citation

Horst, H. Mathilda; Fagan, Brian; and Beute, Gordon H. (1986) "Chest Radiographs in Surgical Intensive Care Patients: A Valuable "Routine"," Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal : Vol. 34 : No. 2 , 84-86.
Available at: https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/hfhmedjournal/vol34/iss2/3