Are Chest Radiographs or Ultrasound More Accurate in Predicting a Pneumothorax or Need for a Thoracostomy Tube in Trauma Patients?

DISCUSSION: At our institution, eFAST CUS was superior to CXR for diagnosing the presence of a PTX and predicting the need for a thoracostomy tube. However, neither test is accurate enough to diagnose a PTX nor predict if the patient will require a thoracostomy tube. Based on the specificity of both tests, a negative CXR or eFAST means there is a high probability that the patient does not have a PTX and will not need a chest tube.PMID:37171252 | DOI:10.1177/00031348231175105

Source: The American Surgeon - May 12, 2023 Category: Surgery Authors: Joseph P DeLoach Rebecca J Reif Westin A Smedley Garrett N Klutts Avi Bhavaraju Terry H Collins Kyle J Kalkwarf Source Type: research