PICTURE ARCHIVING COMMUNICATION-SYSTEMS IN THE INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT

The authors review the potential of picture archiving and communicatio n systems (PACS) in the critical care environment. Presented and analy zed is a university hospital intensive care unit (ICU) PACS project. T he objective of the project is to,provide reliable, timely viewing of bedside radiographs in selected ICUs within the hospital. Key features include redundancy of critical hardware components and viewing statio ns that are simple to operate. The system was implemented in phases wi th incremental evaluation of performance and goals. PACS subsystems ar e discussed. On the basis of this experience, ICU PACS specifications and general considerations are presented. Also presented is a comparis on of 10-year cost projections for conventional screen-film radiograph y and an ICU PACS that incorporates computed radiography. The costs of the two alternatives are comparable. PACS is a viable alternative to conventional screen-film imaging in the ICU setting and offers improve d and more efficient patient care.