Use the ABCDE approach to review the chest x-ray.
Initial review of the film should allow you to make assessment of:
- who, what, why, where, when
- quality, e.g. rotation
- lines and tubes, e.g. ETT, NGT
One the initial review is done, think:
- Airways
- Breathing - lungs and pleural spaces
- Circulation - cardiomediastinum
- Disability - fractures and dislocation
- Exposure - everything else
Finally, always things about the areas where things are commonly missed: the review areas.
