title: The chest X-ray and childhood acute asthma.
abstract: Data from the medical records of 100 children who had a chest X-ray versus 100 children who did not during an attack of acute asthma were compared. No evidence could be found to suggest that the two groups varied in terms of age, sex, severity of the presenting illness, or in the clinical measures of pulse rate, respiratory rate, wheeze and accessory muscle use. It appeared that the X-ray request was an action not based on sound clinical judgement. Cost savings and a reduction in radiation exposure can be made by eliminating unnecessary chest X-ray requests.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Westmead Hospital, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Capaldi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001249:Asthma / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017046:Cost Savings; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D009517:New South Wales; D010808:Physical Examination; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011859:Radiography; D012720:Severity of Illness Index