Can handheld micropower impulse radar technology be used to detect pneumothorax? Initial experience in a European trauma centre. Injury 2013 May;44(5):650-4
Date
03/06/2012Pubmed ID
22385903DOI
10.1016/j.injury.2012.02.001Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84876033668 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 1 CitationAbstract
BACKGROUND: Pneumothoraces are a common injury pattern in emergency medicine. Rapid and safe identification can reduce morbidity and mortality. A new handheld, battery powered device, the Pneumoscan (CE 561036, PneumoSonics Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA), using micropower impulse radar (MIR) technology, has recently been introduced in Europe for the rapid and reliable detection of PTX. However, this technology has not yet been tested in trauma patients. This is the first quality control evaluation to report on emergency room performance of a new device used in the trauma setting.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was performed at a Level I trauma centre in Switzerland. All patients with thoracic trauma and undergoing chest X-ray and CT-scan were eligible for the study. Readings were performed before the chest X-ray and CT scan. The patients had eight lung fields tested (four on each side). All readings with the Pneumoscan were performed by two junior residents in our department who had previously received an instructional tutorial of 15min. The qualitative MIR results were blinded, and stored on the device. We then compared the results of the MIR to those of the clinical examination, chest X-ray and CT-scan.
RESULTS: 50 patients were included, with a mean age of 46 (SD 17) years. Seven patients presented with PTX diagnosed by CT; six of these were detected by Pneumoscan, leading to an overall sensitivity of 85.7 (95% confidence interval 42.1-99.6)%. Only two of seven PTX were found during clinical examination and on chest X-ray (sensitivity 28.6 (95% CI 3.7-71.0)%). Of the remaining 43 of 50 patients without PTX, one false-positive PTX was found by the Pneumoscan, resulting in a specificity of 97.7 (95% CI 87.7-99.9)%.
DISCUSSION: The Pneumoscan is an easy to use handheld technology with reliable results. In this series, the sensitivity to detect a PTX by the Pneumoscan was higher than by clinical examination and chest X-ray. Further studies with higher case numbers and a prospective study design are needed to confirm our findings.
Author List
Albers CE, Haefeli PC, Zimmermann H, de Moya M, Exadaktylos AKAuthor
Marc Anthony De Moya MD Chief, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Early Diagnosis
Emergency Medicine
Female
Humans
Male
Microcomputers
Middle Aged
Monitoring, Physiologic
Pneumothorax
Prospective Studies
Radar
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Switzerland
Thoracic Injuries
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Trauma Centers
