Medical Category: Thoracic and Respiratory

You are working in a rural ED, and an older woman from a local assisted care facility arrives via ambulance in obvious respiratory distress. EMS is able to tell you that she is currently being treated for pneumonia. The patient …

Background: Clinically significant pneumothoraces in patients on mechanical ventilation can be dangerous as positive pressure ventilation can cause an increase in intrapleural pressure and trigger tension physiology. Occult pneumothoraces are those not suspected clinically or not evident on plain radiographs …

Background Information: Obtaining definitive control of the airway, when indicated, is the responsibility of the emergency medicine physician. Traditionally patients were managed on the ventilator with lung volumes of 10 – 15 ml/kg. However, that practice is long-outdated and patients …

Background: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax, by definition, occurs without trauma or any underlying lung pathology. Often patients are otherwise young and healthy. However, management continues to be debated and may lead to unnecessary hospitalization. Previous studies regarding ambulatory management included randomized …

Background: Pneumothorax management is a common clinical condition in the emergency department (ED) occurring in patients of varying ages and caused by multiple etiologies, including spontaneous, traumatic, and iatrogenic pneumothorax. Regardless of the cause, a thoracostomy is often required for …