Pneumothorax CME

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has posted a new Continuing Medical Education activity, "Focus On: Treatment Options for Pneumothorax" on their website.

The activity's objectives:
"After reading this article, you should be able to:

Define the various types of pneumothoraces.

Describe the indications for needle aspiration and small-bore catheter placement in the management of pneumothoraces as outlined by the American College of Chest Physicians and British Thoracic Society.

Discuss the controversies surrounding needle aspiration and small-bore catheter placement for management of pneumothoraces. You should also be able to identify the advantages and disadvantages in terms of cost, length of stay and patient comfort.

Identify the characteristics of those patients with pneumothoraces unlikely to be successfully treated with needle aspiration and small-bore catheter placement.

Identify sub-sets of patients who have had their pneumothoraces successfully treated with needle aspiration and small-bore catheter placement as reported in emergency medicine, trauma, and radiology literature."