A new study presented at the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) annual meeting found that using ultrasound in the intensive care unit (ICU) can lower the use of radiation-based modalities such as CT and x-ray.
Researchers from North Shore - LIJ Health System studied three months of data comparing chest x-rays, CT scans, and ultrasound studies between two independent but similar ICUs staffed by the same medical house staff in one healthcare system. One ICU used bedside ultrasound as the standard of care for diagnosis, while the other used conventional imaging, such as x-ray and CT scans, as the standard of care.
In total, there were 5.21 x-ray exams, 0.91 CT scans, and 0.27 cardiac echocardiograms per patient stay in the nonultrasound ICU, compared with 1.10 x-ray exams, 0.26 CT scans, and 0.11 echocardiograms in the ultrasound ICU. Mortality rates did not differ greatly between the two units.
"We found that the use of ultrasound to diagnose patients greatly reduced radiation exposure for patients without negatively affecting their health," Dr. Margarita Oks said in a statement. "It was also cost-effective."
