Are Chest Radiographs or Ultrasound More Accurate in Predicting a Pneumothorax or Need for a Thoracostomy Tube in Trauma Patients?
Joseph P DeLoachRebecca J ReifWestin A SmedleyGarrett N KluttsAvi BhavarajuTerry H CollinsKyle J KalkwarfPublished in: The American surgeon (2023)
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.