Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
5 years ago

Frequency of abnormal findings on routine chest radiography before cardiac surgery

Preoperative chest radiograph screening is widely used prior to cardiac surgery. The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of abnormal findings on a routine chest radiograph before cardiac surgery. Methods In this retrospective cohort study 1,136 patients were included. Patients were scheduled for cardiac surgery and underwent a preoperative chest radiograph. The primary outcome was the frequency of abnormalities on the chest radiograph. Secondary outcome was the effect of those abnormalities on surgery. Results Half of the patients (570/1,136; 50%) had one or more abnormalities on the chest radiograph. Most frequent abnormalities were cardiomegaly, aortic elongation, signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, vertebral fractures or height loss, possible pulmonary or mediastinal mass, pleural effusion and atelectasis. In two patients (2/1,136; 0.2%), the chest radiograph led to postponement of surgery, while in none of the patients the surgery was cancelled. In 1 patient (1/1,136; 0.1%) the surgical approach was altered and in 15 patients (15/1,136; 1.3%) further analysis was performed without having an impact on the planned surgical approach. Conclusions Although abnormalities are frequently found on preoperative chest radiographs prior to cardiac surgery, change in clinical management with regard to planned surgery or surgical approach occurs infrequently.

Publisher URL: www.sciencedirect.com/science

DOI: S0022522318302642

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