Chest Radiography in the ICU: Part I, Evaluation of Airway, Enteric, and Pleural Tubes

AJR :198, March 2012

Myrna C. B.Godoy Barry S. Leitman Patricia M. de Groot loannis Vlahos David P. Naidich

OBJECTIVE. In this pictorial essay, we discuss and illustrate normal and aberrant po­sitioning of nonvascular support and monitoring devices frequently used in critically ill pa­tients, including endotracheal and tracheostomy tubes, chest tubes, and nasogastric and naso-enteric tubes, as well as their inherent complications.

CONCLUSION. The radiographic evaluation of the support and monitoring devices used in patients in the ICU is important because the potentially serious complications arising from their introduction and use are often not clinically apparent. Familiarity with normal and abnormal radiographic findings is critical for the detection of these complications.