Tuberc Respir Dis.  2009 Jul;67(1):27-31.

Usefulness of Small Caliber Catheter Insertion for a Spontaneous Pneumothorax

• Kim EJ
• Yoon SH
• Lee SI
• Kwon YE

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The large caliber catheter used in the treatment of pneumothorax causes great damage to the chest wall and organs. The purpose of this study was to prove that the use of a smaller caliber catheter is effective in treating pneumothorax with decreasing admission period and that the recurrence rate of spontaneous pneumothorax is low. METHODS: Patients who had been admitted for treatment of first time occurrence of pneumothorax between May, 2004 and December, 2008 were included in the study. The caliber of catheter used this study is 18 Guage (1.2 mm). The efficacy of treatment, admission period and recurrence rate of treating pneumothorax with small caliber catheter were compared to the control group using a tube thoracostomy for treatment. RESULTS: The admission period for primary spontaneous pneumothorax was 10.8+/-3.6 days for the group (n=68) using tube thoracostomy compared to 4.5+/-1.3 days for the group (n=31) using the small caliber catheter (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in recurrence rate between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The use of a smaller caliber catheter for the treatment of pneumothorax reduces the admission period without a significant increase in recurrence rates.

Keyword

Pneumothorax; Catheterization; Thoracostomy

MeSH Terms

Catheterization
Catheters
Humans
Pneumothorax
Recurrence
Thoracic Wall
Thoracostomy

Figure

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  Figure 1 Small caliber catheter used in treating spontaneous pneumothorax (Leader's catheter®; VYGON 95440 ECOUEN E.C length 10 cm, diameter 1.2 mm).

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  Figure 2 Small caliber catheter is inserted in first intercostal space at right midclavicular line.

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  Figure 3 Radio-opaque catheter line shadow is shown in chest x-ray PA view.

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