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Likelihood Ratio (LR) in Emergency Medicine
Showing posts with label CVC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CVC. Show all posts

2/04/2013

Is chest X ray necessary to rule out PNX after thoracic maneuvers?

Clinical Scenario

It’s a busy day in ED this morning. 
The first patient refers dyspnoea, he has an advanced pulmonary neoplasia, ultrasound and chest x-ray confirm that the left zone is occupated by a pleural effusion. The thoracentesis removes about 1.5 liter of fluid, the patient breathes easily.

The second patient is 65 yo, he has pneumonia, he is septic, it’s impossible to find a vein, the right internal jugular vein is identified by ultrasound and the catheterization is performed without any problem.   

Is it necessary in this cases to perform a chest  X-ray to rule out a PNX?


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