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the reason I asked length is because 2 studies demonstrated that up to 50-60% of the 1 1/4 inch needles never make it into the chest (pleural space) to actually decompress the pneumothorax. You need a 5 cm (2 1/2 inch) needle to reliably enter the pleural space.....especially with the more muscular male bodies.
My 2 cents is that if they are not stating this in the class (using the 5cm needles), have the instructors do a literature search on it and find the articles (i don't have the references handy)....They should be teaching and equipping you with the best information and supplies that will get the job done reliably, efficiently and safely.......
ss
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'Revel in action, translate perceptions into instant judgements, and these into actions that are irrevocable, monumentous and dreadful - all this with lightning speed, in conditions of great stress and in an environment of high tension:what is expected of "us" is the impossible, yet we deliver just that.
(adapted from: Sherwin B. Nuland, MD, surgeon and author: The Wisdom of the Body, 1997 )
Education is the anti-ignorance we all need to better treat our patients. ss, 2008.
The blade is so sharp that the incision is perfect. They don't realize they've been cut until they're out of the fight: A Surgeon Warrior. I use a knife to defend life and to save it. ss (aka traumadoc)
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