Chest x-rays of COVID-19-positive patients were scored (range, 0-8) based on the extent and degree of opacities. The primary study outcome was mortality.Įxamples of chest x-rays with different geographic extent and opacity scores. The investigators then analyzed correlations between the chest x-ray scores and outcomes at different time points. Radiologists analyzed each x-ray and scored the images on a scale of 0 to 8, with a higher score indicating worse disease. Shen and colleagues compared chest x-ray scores among survivors (224) versus nonsurvivors (28) in a general group of patients and among survivors (92) and nonsurvivors (56) in a group of patients who were put on invasive mechanical ventilation. Thus, in this retrospective study, the group aimed to further establish whether findings on chest x-rays can be associated with patient outcomes. However, there has been no systematic evaluation of the longitudinal characteristics of lung chest x-ray scores in COVID-19 patients, the group wrote. Chest x-rays can visualize characteristic ground-glass opacities and consolidation in the lungs associated with COVID-19 infection and help with clinical diagnosis. The study was published March 15 in Diagnostics.Īlthough chest x-rays are inferior to CT for diagnosing COVID-19, they were used widely during the peak of the pandemic and continue to be useful in resource-limited settings around the world. "These are not unexpected, but indicate correlation of severity of COVID-19 infection with likelihood of mortality, and could provide clinically useful information in a quantitative manner," the group wrote. These chest x-ray scores can be used to inform clinical decisions, they suggest. Ma- Plain chest x-rays of COVID-19 patients taken at the time of hospital admission can help predict which patients are at higher risk of death, according to a group of researchers in New York.Ī team led by Dr. Beiyi Shen of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook found that chest x-ray severity scores were significantly worse at admission in patients who died compared with those of survivors. Chest x-rays predict outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients By Will Morton, staff writer
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