Chest X-Rays Are Overused in the ICU

Routine daily chest x-rays are unnecessary in most intubated and mechanically ventilated patients.

Despite recommendations by the American College of Radiology that mechanically ventilated patients receive routine daily chest radiographs, few well-designed studies support this controversial practice, and no randomized trials have shown relevant clinical benefits in large populations. Furthermore, expert opinions are divided about the need for routine daily chest x-rays (CXRs) versus on-demand CXRs in intubated intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

In a cluster-randomized crossover study to assess the efficiency and efficacy of routine daily CXRs versus on-demand CXRs, investigators enrolled 21 adult ICUs (13 medical, 2 surgical, 6 mixed) in France with 849 patients (5% of the country's total ICU patients). All ICUs used each method of evalu…

Reviewing Author

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FHM

Disclosures

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill; Elsevier

Editorial BoardsMedical Clinics of North America; Caribbean Medical Journal International Advisory Panel (2021–2026)

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, FHM

Disclosures

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill; Elsevier

Editorial BoardsMedical Clinics of North America; Caribbean Medical Journal International Advisory Panel (2021–2026)