A needle is used for a VERY quick decompression in a critical situation and could be used as a emergency diagnostic confirmation during a field type situation when no chest xray is available and before you cut in a chest tube. You literally hear the air release once your gain access to that pleural space and in my VERY limited experience get very quick and affirmative results with the patient if you were (a) successful and (b) it was needed and they actually had a tension pneumo. LOL
I've been at the table and assisted while my son was needled twice to relieve a tension pneumo with critical symptoms of pronounced tracheal shift, diminished breath sounds, very low 02 sats even while being ventilated on 100% 02, bradycardia, yet plenty of blood volume (he did not display JVD but if the patient does have JVD- it does alert you that there is not a volume deficiency causing the shock and helps diagnose TP) while a chest tube setup was obtained. Chest tube w/suction unit was the permanent treatment for his condition.
NOTE: Please wait for SwatSurgeon or DocT to chime in on this. They are trauma surgeons and true experts.
