The Value of Routine Postoperative Chest Radiographs Following Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review

This systematic review will synthesize the available evidence on the diagnostic utility, therapeutic impact, and associated patient outcomes of routine postoperative chest radiographs in adult patients following cardiac surgery. The purpose of this review is to determine the diagnostic utility, therapeutic impact, and associated patient outcomes of routine postoperative chest radiography following adult cardiac surgery, to inform clinical decision making regarding the use of routine postoperative imaging in this context. Specifically, the study aims to describe the rates of radiographic findings on routine chest radiographs completed within the first seven days following cardiac surgery in adult patients, to describe the rates of therapeutic interventions completed based on the findings of routine chest radiographs, and to evaluate the reported clinical outcomes in studies evaluating routine chest radiographs completed in the first seven days following cardiac surgery in adult patients. This systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for systematic reviews and reported following PRISMA reporting guidance, using structured screening, duplicate data extraction, and risk of bias assessment to ensure a rigorous and transparent synthesis of findings across studies.