Thoracic Imaging Utilization on Super Bowl Sundays: A Retrospective Analysis From a Large Academic Medical Center

Purpose Super Bowl Sundays (SBSs) have been linked to shifts in social behavior and health-related events. Understanding its impact on thoracic imaging utilization can guide radiology staffing and resource planning during major public events. This single-center study aimed to evaluate thoracic imaging patterns on SBSs within our healthcare network. Materials and methods We retrospectively analyzed data from the two central tertiary-care campuses of our healthcare network for SBSs in 2022, 2023, and 2024, using the adjacent Sundays and Saturdays as temporal controls. Two time windows were evaluated: entire days (00:00-23:59) and television (TV) prime time (17:00-22:59). Data included patient demographics, imaging type, and timing details. Poisson and robust regression models were used to assess differences in patient and exam volumes per hour and turnaround times (TATs), adjusting for year and time of day. Results A total of 3,894 thoracic imaging examinations performed in 3,148 patients were analyzed. On SBSs, significantly fewer patients were seen compared to control Sundays (6.7±0.8 vs 7.2±0.7; P=0.019), and fewer chest radiographs were performed (7.0±0.8 vs 7.8±0.8; P=0.019). During TV prime time, the significant drop was more pronounced in radiograph volumes (6.1±0.5 vs 8.0±0.4; P=0.012), alongside a significant reduction in TATs (37±12 vs 48±13 min; P=0.024). No such differences were seen on control Saturdays. No significant differences were seen in CT volumes or TATs on SBSs. Conclusion Thoracic imaging utilization, especially chest radiographs, decreased on SBSs, driven by fewer patient visits, particularly during prime time. This corresponded with shorter TATs, despite a trend toward more exams per patient.