Paeds Vivas · investigations-procedures-and-technology
Chest decompression and intercostal drain insertion — branching viva
Branching viva on chest decompression and intercostal drain insertion in children: the clinical diagnosis of tension pneumothorax and immediate needle decompression at the second intercostal space mid-clavicular line or the fourth or fifth intercostal space in the anterior axillary line; the safe triangle borders and the above-the-rib-below rule; drain sizing by content; the never-clamp rule; the ventilated neonate; and the management of empyema.
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Opening question
This 8-year-old hit by a car is agitated, cyanosed, tachypnoeic, with reduced air entry and hyperresonance on the right, tracheal deviation to the left, distended neck veins, and a blood pressure of 70 over 40. Give me the diagnosis, the immediate decompression site and technique, and tell me exactly why you would not wait for a chest radiograph. [3] [4]
References8ShowHide
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- [3]Lyng JW, Ward C, Angelidis M, et al Prehospital Trauma Compendium: Traumatic Pneumothorax Care. Position Statement and Resource Document of NAEMSP Prehospital Emergency Care, 2024.PMID 39499620
- [4]Ahmad SJS, Degiannis JR, Head M, et al Meta-analysis of the optimal needle length and decompression site for tension pneumothorax and consensus recommendations on current ATLS and ETC guidelines World Journal of Emergency Surgery, 2025.PMID 40383767
- [5]Terboven T, Heblich LA, Weiss C, et al The nipple as a landmark for needle decompression of tension pneumothorax in children: a CT-based evaluation and proposal of an alternative insertion site Prehospital Emergency Care, 2021.PMID 33026282
- [6]Terboven T, Leonhard G, Wessel L, et al Chest wall thickness and depth to vital structures in paediatric patients: implications for prehospital needle decompression of tension pneumothorax Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 2019.PMID 30992028
- [7]Bruschettini M, Romantsik O, Zappettini S, et al Needle aspiration versus intercostal tube drainage for pneumothorax in the newborn Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2019.PMID 30707441
- [8]Beyer CA, Byrne JP, Moore SA, et al Predictors of initial management failure in traumatic hemothorax: a prospective multicenter cohort analysis Surgery, 2023.PMID 37500410