Following the NPSA alert about chest drains and the number of incidents surrounding their use, are departments using USS routinely to place their chest tubes?
The major problems for which USS would help seem to revolve around drainage of fluid rather than air where the white out on a CXR prevents you from knowing what the anatomy is inside the chest.
The CXR in a simple pneumothorax lets you know where you are going and provided you stick to the 'triangle of safety' does ultrasound have a lot to offer. Are people using ultrasound routinely for placing tubes in simple pneumothoracies?
Simon
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