ROUTINE CHEST ROENTGENOGRAPHY ON ADMISSION TO INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT AFTER HEART OPERATIONS - IS IT OF ANY VALUE

The need for routine immediate postoperative chest roentgenography aft er heart operations has recently been questioned, In this study we inv estigated the impact of routine postoperative chest roentgenography on treatment instituted in the cardiovascular intensive care unit immedi ately after heart operations done via median sternotomy, A total of 40 4 random patients admitted to the cardiovascular intensive care unit u nderwent clinical (positioning of endotracheal tube, nasogastric tube, and pulmonary artery catheter) and laboratory (oxygenation) assessmen t by a cardiovascular intensive care unit physician according to a str ict protocol, After clinical assessment, chest roentgenography was don e for all admitted patients and the findings reviewed by the same phys ician, Pathologic conditions noted were recorded on the study form tog ether with any required treatment, Eighteen patients (4.5%) out of 404 required intervention because of abnormalities detected by the chest x-ray film but not predicted by the initial physical and laboratory as sessment, None of the pathologic conditions detected was life threaten ing, We conclude that chest roentgenography done on admission to the c ardiovascular intensive care unit should be done only if clinical and laboratory assessment indicate the possibility of underlying pathologi c conditions that can only be confirmed or diagnosed by chest roentgen ography.