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Tag: PTX

Don’t Believe the Headline: Ultrasound vs CXR in Traumatic Pneumothorax Diagnosis

Background:           The use of ultrasound is well established for trauma patients in the emergency department, with almost every patient receiving a FAST (Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma) examination as part of the “ABC’s” of trauma. Though the initial …

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Trauma

Spontaneous Pneumothorax: Stand There and Do Nothing?

Background: Most published clinical guidelines on the management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) advocate for a conservative approach of observation for small asymptomatic pneumothoraces (PTX).(1,2) However, procedural re-expansion with a catheter or chest tube is recommended for all large pneumothoraces, regardless …

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Procedures and SkillsThoracic and Respiratory

Ultrasound for Detection of Pneumothorax

Typically, the initial evaluation of blunt trauma patients involves a supine anteroposterior (AP) chest x-ray (CXR) which has a poor sensitivity for the detection of pneumothorax (PTX), and has been reported as low as 20% – 48%. Following the CXR computed tomography …

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Thoracic and Respiratory

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