engleski

Chest Radiography in Emergency Department

Introduction: Chest radiography (CR) is the most prescribed radiologic test performed on patients treated within Emergency Department (ED). It is cheap, quickly obtainable and avilable. Data on gender differences related to prescribing CR in ED are scarse. Aim: The aim of this study was to research if there is any major significant gender difference in radiologic workup in emergency setting and what is the most often and common complaint. Materials and Methods: Teh autrhors analysed electronic data on ED visits of a single University hospital centre for period of 18 days retrospectively. Data on medical history, chief complaint, main diagnosis, demographics and recommendations were collected. Results: A total of 949 patients (pts)visited ED during named period, with slight female predominance (47%). Female pts were older, spent less time in ED, more often had history of hypertension, most common chief complaint was abdominal pain. Male pts had higher frequency of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary artery disease (CAD)reported in medical history, most common chief complaint was chest pain. CR was more often performed in male pts, but the finding was more often normal in female. Cardiomegaly, pleural effusion and pulmonary congestion were the most common radiologic findings for both genders. No major statistically significant difference in radiologic work-up depending on gender was found. Conclusion: The authors failed to prove major significant gender difference in radiologic workup in emergency setting. The authors want to stress the vast number of normal findings found in this study. This urges for clear guidelines and recommendations for chest radiography in ED, since radiation exposure and costs are substential.

Chest radiography; gender differences; emergency department; chief complaint

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