TY - JOUR T1 - Emergent needle thoracostomy in prehospital trauma patients: a review of procedural execution through computed tomography scans JF - Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open JO - Trauma Surg Acute Care Open DO - 10.1136/tsaco-2021-000752 VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - e000752 AU - Michael M Neeki AU - Christina Cheung AU - Fanglong Dong AU - Nam Pham AU - Dylan Shafer AU - Arianna Neeki AU - Keeyon Hajjafar AU - Rodney Borger AU - Brandon Woodward AU - Louis Tran Y1 - 2021/08/01 UR - http://tsaco.bmj.com/content/6/1/e000752.abstract N2 - Background Traumatic tension pneumothoraces (TPT) are among the most serious causes of death in traumatic injuries, requiring immediate treatment with a needle thoracostomy (NT). Improperly placed NT insertion into the pleural cavity may fail to treat a life-threatening TPT. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of prehospital NT placements by paramedics in adult trauma patients.Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on 84 consecutive trauma patients who had received NT by prehospital personnel. The primary outcome was the accuracy of NT placement by prehospital personnel. Comparisons of various variables were conducted between those who survived and those who died, and proper versus improper needle insertion separately.Results Proper NT placement into the pleural cavity was noted in 27.4% of adult trauma patients. In addition, more than 19% of the procedures performed by the prehospital providers appeared to have not been medically indicated.Discussion Long-term strategies may be needed to improve the capabilities and performance of prehospital providers’ capabilities in this delicate life-saving procedure.Level of evidence IV.Data are available upon reasonable request. Data are available as deidentified data upon request. Please contact the corresponding author at michaelneeki@gmail.com. ER -