Chest x-ray interpretation in intensive care units
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Chest x-ray interpretation in intensive care units
IRAS ID
220260
Contact name
John Simpson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research Management and Governance Manager
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
The requirement for respiratory support (the use of a ventilator machine to support breathing) is the commonest reason for patients being admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Patients in ICUs are usually critically ill, which in turn leaves them highly susceptible to further complications. Many of these complications affect the lungs, further increasing the patient's risk of death. Unfortunately, the different causes of increasing opacity on a chest x-ray (CXR) are difficult to tell apart, meaning the same image can be interpreted differently by different doctors and so the best choice of treatment may be compromised. However, the level of accuracy and variability in CXR interpretation is poorly quantified or understood. This study therefore seeks to address this question.
This is a retrospective study, in which historical lists of patients in 3 North East ICUs who had been intubated for more than 48 hours will be identified. From this list, patients who had a CT scan and a CXR performed within 24 hours of each other will be identified and selected.
A log of which anonymised CT scan matches which CXR will be kept.
Anonymised CXR films will then be analysed and interpreted by ICU consultants, ICU trainees, consultant radiologists specialising in lung disease, consultant radiologists with a subspecialty other than lung disease, and trainee radiologists. The anonymised CT scans will be interpreted by thoracic radiologists and used as a reference standard to assess the accuracy of the participants CXR interpretation.
No patient contact and no interventions will occur at any point in the study.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NE/0282
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion