Objective. Tension pneumothorax can lead to cardiovascular
collapse and death. In the prehospital setting, needle thoracostomy
for emergent decompression may be lifesaving.
Taught throughout the United States to emergency medical
technicians (EMTs) and physicians, the true efficacy of this
procedure is unknown. Some question the utility of this procedure
in the prehospital setting, doubting that the needle
actually enters the pleural space. This study was designed
to determine if needle decompression of a suspected tension
pneumothorax would access the pleural cavity as predicted
by chest computed tomography (CT). Methods. We
retrospectively reviewed consecutive adult trauma patients
admitted to a level I trauma center between January and
March 2005. We measured chest wall depth at the second
intercostal space, midclavicular line on CT scans. Data on
chest wall thickness were compared with the standard 4.4-cm
angiocatheter used for needle decompression. Results. Data
from 110 patients were analyzed. The mean age of the patients
was 43.5 years. The mean chest wall depth on the right
was 4.5 cm (±1.5 cm) and on the left was 4.1 cm (±1.4 cm).
Fifty-five of 110 patients had at least one side of the chest
wall measuring greater than 4.4 cm. Conclusions. The standard
4.4-cm angiocatheter is likely to be unsuccessful in 50%
(95% confidence interval = 40.7–59.3%) of trauma patients
on the basis of body habitus. In light of its low predicted
success, the standard method for treatment of tension pneumothorax
by prehospital personnel deserves further consideration.
Key words: pneumothorax; thoracostomy; needle
decompression