Title: (Unblinded) The Utility of Routine Chest X-rays During the Initial Stabilization of Trauma
Patients
David Y. Ong, MD; Steven G. Schauer, DO; Peter Cuenca, MD; Michael Cheung, MD
Author Affiliations: Department of Emergency Medicine, San Antonio Military Medical Center,
Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Address for correspondence: David Y. Ong, MD, E-mail: david.y.ong.mil@mail.mil
Phone 978-390-2109. Category of presenter: Resident
Objectives: We intended to determine the incidence of clinically significant findings on initial
portable chest x-rays performed during the initial stabilization of the trauma patient.
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified all patients who received a one-view
portable chest x-ray as part of their evaluation in the trauma room of a Level 1 trauma center
during a 2 year period. We randomly selected 400 of these patients to review in our study. We
reviewed the Emergency Department record of those patients with predetermined traumatic
injuries identified on portable chest x-ray and documented any changes in management
performed as a result of the chest x-ray findings prior to leaving the trauma room or within 30
minutes of the chest x-ray, whichever occurred first. Examples of changes in management we
documented in our study were therapeutic interventions such as needle decompression, tube
thoracostomy, thoracentesis, or immediate transport to the operating room for a cardiothoracic
surgical intervention. Our data will be analyzed with standard descriptive statistics.
Results: Results are pending data collection.
Conclusion: Conclusions are pending data collection and analysis.