title: Assessment of limited chest x-ray technique in postcardiac surgery management.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to investigate the safety of elimination of chest radiography in the postcardiac surgery Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared patients in two different groups of routine CXR (RCXR) and limited CXR (LCXR) and their diagnostic and therapeutic outcome in a University hospital-based single center from 2014 to 2016. 3 CXR in the RCXR group and 1 CXR in the limited group was performed, in addition to on-demand criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 978 samples were acceptable for analysis which 55.21% of RCXR and 59.50% of LCXR were male patients. In total, 523 abnormalities in RCXR group and 154 occasions in LCXR group resulted in 26.73% diagnostic efficacy for RCXRs and 28.57% for LCXR. From 1956 CXR that was taken in RCXR group, 72 occasions required intervention (3.68%) and 84 cases out of 539 (15.58%) LCXR needed an action to therapy. This means a 14.40% in RCXRs' abnormalities and 56.00% of LCXRs' abnormalities were accompanied with some interventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abolishing routine CXR in the ICUs would not be harmful for the patients, and it can be managed based on their clinical status and other safer imaging techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Imam Khomeini Medical and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Imam Khomeini Medical and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Kianoush
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saberi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Imam Khomeini Medical and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrzad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahmanian
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Imam Khomeini Medical and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bakhshandeh
authors.affiliation: Nursery Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Shahnaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharifi
mesh_terms: D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D014965:X-Rays