a chess radiograph is a radiographic imaging technique used for the assessment of the heart
lungs and structures within the thoracic cavity we created this video to cover the
medical definition and provide a brief overview of this topic so if you're ready let's get into it
it goes without saying that it's a requirement for respiratory therapists to know when a chest x-ray
is indicated and how to interpret the results that is because thoracic imaging provides a lot
of information about a patient's condition and helps with the diagnosis of respiratory diseases
as previously mentioned a chest radiograph occurs as an x-ray passes through the chest to a film
which provides us with a visual representation of the structures within the thoracic cavity
the appearance of the x-ray depends on the density of the structures within the chest
which could include air fat soft tissue bone and fluid lungs that are filled with air have a more
black appearance on the chest x-ray which is known as being radiolucent on the other hand
structures such as bones or fluid absorbs more of the x-ray beans during the process and displays
more white on the chest x-ray which is known as being radio-opaque in general a chest radiograph
must be ordered by a physician although it often comes by suggestion from a respiratory therapist
some of the most common indications for obtaining a chest radiograph include the following dyspnea
acute chest pain a decrease in oxygenation hemoptysis excess sputum production a severe
persistent cough and for diagnostic measures such as a positive tuberculosis skin test
chest radiographs are also needed to confirm the proper placement of things such as an
endotracheal tube pulmonary artery catheter or central venous catheter the anatomic structures
that can be visualized on a chest x-ray include the following bones which include the
ribs clavicles and vertebrae soft tissues which includes the chest wall abdomen and lymph nodes
lungs including the trachea bronchi and lung tissue the pleura as well as the pleural spaces
and a chest x-ray also provides visualization of the lower neck as well chest radiographs are
great but they do have their limitations which is why other imaging techniques are useful if
more anatomic details are required some examples include a ct scan mri vq scan pet scan and an
ultrasound each of which we have covered in separate videos here on our channel the results
of a chest x-ray are now uploaded digitally and electronically directly to a patient's medical
record which allows multiple medical professionals to assess the findings all at the same time
including radiologists general physicians respiratory therapists and even nurses in
some cases again for this video we just wanted to provide you with a brief overview of this topic
we'll be breaking it down into much more detail in a separate video real quick guys do me a huge
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have a ton of other videos on our channel that i think you will enjoy just a quick reminder we are
not doctors this video is for educational and informational purposes only and if you want to
dive deeper and learn more about this topic you can go to respiratorytherapyzone.com where we
have a ton of free study guides practice questions and other helpful resources
i'll drop links to everything you need right below this video down in the description thank you so
much for watching all the way to the end have a blessed day and as always real easy my friend