Is the flutter valve beneficial? Is the chest seal itself beneficial? Or, does it convert a sucking chest wound into a life-threatening tension pneumothorax? “Why do we treat a non-lethal condition (open pneumothorax) with an intervention that may result in a lethal condition (tension pneumothorax)?” If the size of the chest seal defect is larger than the diameter of the trachea, then air will preferentially move through the chest defect which can be fatal. Many of the chest seals are being placed on small defects which could lead to a tension pneumothorax.
It is unknown whether modifying the current practice of treating an open pneumothorax with an occlusive chest dressing might cause some of these injuries to then result in fatalities.
Saving Lives on the Battlefield A Joint Trauma System Review of Pre-Hospital Trauma Care in Combined Joint Operating Area – Afghanistan (CJOA-A) FINAL REPORT 30 January 2013 U.S. Central Command Pre-Hospital Trauma Care Assessment Team
The current guidelines indicates commercial chest seals both vent or non vent as a valid option to treat open chest wounds. In any case if a commercial chest seal is not available the 3 sided closed dressing is no longer recommended and a total occlusive medication is the current indication.
Commercial chest seal VS improvised 3 sided chest dressing
A chest dressing closed on 3 sides was the traditional option of treatment. They are often difficult to adhere, ineffective and difficult to improvise in time-critical scenarios. New and recent guidelines recommended an occlusive medication with strict surveillance and in case of signs of tension pneumothorax the dressing must be removed. If the patients does not improve after removing the seal open thoracostomy is indicated.
There is no clear evidence to suggest that the use of one-way chest seals would reduce the incidence of respiratory complications in patients with penetrating chest wounds. However, these seals may be easier to use and should be considered as part of the medical kit for out-of-hospital settings.
BET 3: In a penetrating chest wound is a three-sided dressing or a one-way chest seal better at preventing respiratory complications?
A vent commercial chest seal is the first line option in prehospital setting.
Both vented and unvented CSs provided immediate improvements in breathing and blood oxygenation in our model of penetrating thoracic trauma. However, in the presence of ongoing intrapleural air accumulation, the unvented CS led to tension PTx, hypoxemia, and possible respiratory arrest, while the vented CS prevented these outcomes.
Vented versus unvented chest seals for treatment of pneumothorax and prevention of tension pneumothorax in a swine model
In case vent chest seal is not available use non vent chest seal and if the patients develops hypotension, hypoxia, respiratory distress, remove the seal or performa an open thoracostomy.
So what to do?
Firstget an airway and put the lung on positive pressure ventilation (Volume or Pressure Targeted Ventilation) :
Positive pressure in the chest during the entire respiratory cycle and avoiding negative pressure during inspiration decreases the risk of tension pneumothorax
If you have the patient on a spinal board with a cervical collar the larynx is narrowed and when the patient is in spontaneous breathing the air preferentially enters from the chest wound. Placing an OT and positive pressure ventilation avoids this mechanism and prevents tension in the thorax.
Positive pressure ventilation re-inflates the collapsed lung and improve oxygenation (PEEP) and ventilation (Minute Ventilation).
Secondclose the wound with
Vent chest seal as first option
Non vent chest seal if vent is not available
Non commercial chest dressing closed on 3 sides is your last resort
YES prehospital professionals are different from any other medical provider.
YES Prehospital Emergency Medicine is different because is not just clinical competence and technical skills. It’s much more.
WE are different because performing skills or procedures depends not just from the right patient and the right indication, but is heavily influenced by the environment where we work and the team we lead.
BUT despite this we perform complex procedures even in the hardest situations.
WE are different because we always deal with the “contro” of a possible failure in the middle of nowhere, and the “pro” of a probable success in a safe and warm environment (as the nearest emergency room).
BUT despite this we act, succeed and learn from our failures.
WE are lucky because often our patients don’t have life treating conditions, they just need to talk and we probably are their last chance.
In Emergency Medicine “Simplicity” is synonymous of efficiency, efficacy and reproducibility.
More the time frame is stressful more we need procedures that are efficient, efficacious and standardised, in one word SIMPLE.
Critcothyrodotomy and chest drain are procedures usually performed in high stressing scenarios and more simply they are more chance of success they have.
I don’t like complicate kits. They need training of course but even a calm and protected environment, and the middle of a street or a busy ER room aren’t nothing like that.
I don’t like blindly performed procedures but prefer trusting my own senses and sensibility when performing high invasive procedures that, mostly of the times, are a lifesaving last chance.
So this is the best way I know to perform a surgical access to the airway and to drain a highly unstable tense pneumo: using simple instruments, always present in every emergency pack, and trusting my own tactile sensitivity.
In those following videos you can see live records of the procedures. They were captured during a recent cadaver lab where I had the honour to join Jim DuCanto, Yen Chow, Carmine Della Vella and Fabrizio Tarchi in teaching airway management and clinical emergency procedures.
Tra tutte le “Best Practices”, quella che rappresenta più di tutte un cambio radicale di mentalità nell’approccio clinico e terapeutico, è la gestione dell’arresto cardiaco da causa traumatica. Vi prego quindi di leggere attentamente le raccomandzioni raccolte nel documento sottostante e di non esitare a esprimere le vostre riflessioni nei commenti.
Many interesting recommendations where made for pre-hospital and in hospital providers about several topics
Airway management
Chest trauma
Haemorrage control
Circulatory access
Volume resuscitation
Fluid replacement
Pain management
Documentation
Training
Here is the Excerpt regarding the pre-hospital settings
Download the full guidelines for in-hospital recommendations and full description of Guidelines process and rationale behind every single recommendation
Our goal is to inform the global EM community with timely and high yield content about what providers like YOU are seeing and doing everyday in your local ED.
این سایت را به آن دکتوران و محصلین طب که شب و روز برای رفاه نوع انسان فداکاری می کنند ، جوانی و لذایذ زندگی را بدون چشمداشت به امتیاز و نفرین و آفرین قربان خدمت به بشر می کنند و بار سنگین خدمت و اصلاح را بدوش می کشند ، اهداء می کنم This site is dedicated to all Doctors and students that aver the great responsibility of People’s well-being upon their shoulders and carry on their onerous task with utmost dedication and Devotionاولین سایت و ژورنال انتــرنتی علـــمی ،تخـصصی ، پــژوهشــی و آمــوزشــی طبـــی در افغــانســـتان
Learning everything I can from everywhere I can. This is my little blog to keep track of new things medical, paramedical and pre-hospital from a student's perspective.
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MEDEST 
Open Chest Wounds. The Prehospital Management
3 AgoThe current guidelines indicates commercial chest seals both vent or non vent as a valid option to treat open chest wounds. In any case if a commercial chest seal is not available the 3 sided closed dressing is no longer recommended and a total occlusive medication is the current indication.
Commercial chest seal VS improvised 3 sided chest dressing
A chest dressing closed on 3 sides was the traditional option of treatment. They are often difficult to adhere, ineffective and difficult to improvise in time-critical scenarios. New and recent guidelines recommended an occlusive medication with strict surveillance and in case of signs of tension pneumothorax the dressing must be removed. If the patients does not improve after removing the seal open thoracostomy is indicated.
BET 3: In a penetrating chest wound is a three-sided dressing or a one-way chest seal better at preventing respiratory complications?
Major trauma: assessment and initial management. 1.3 Management of chest trauma in pre‑hospital settings
Vent vs Non Vent Chest Seal
A vent commercial chest seal is the first line option in prehospital setting.
Vented versus unvented chest seals for treatment of pneumothorax and prevention of tension pneumothorax in a swine model
Treatment of Thoracic Trauma: Lessons From the Battlefield Adapted to All Austere Environments
In case vent chest seal is not available use non vent chest seal and if the patients develops hypotension, hypoxia, respiratory distress, remove the seal or performa an open thoracostomy.
So what to do?
First get an airway and put the lung on positive pressure ventilation (Volume or Pressure Targeted Ventilation) :
Positive pressure in the chest during the entire respiratory cycle and avoiding negative pressure during inspiration decreases the risk of tension pneumothorax
If you have the patient on a spinal board with a cervical collar the larynx is narrowed and when the patient is in spontaneous breathing the air preferentially enters from the chest wound. Placing an OT and positive pressure ventilation avoids this mechanism and prevents tension in the thorax.
Positive pressure ventilation re-inflates the collapsed lung and improve oxygenation (PEEP) and ventilation (Minute Ventilation).
Second close the wound with
Vent chest seal as first option
Non vent chest seal if vent is not available
Non commercial chest dressing closed on 3 sides is your last resort
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Tag:emergency medicine, emergenza sanitaria territoriale, major trauma, medicina d'urgenza, medicina d'urgenza preospedaliera, pneumothorax, pneumotorace, prehospital emergency medicine, trauma, trauma toracico