METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY DOCUMENTING AND TREATING TENSION PNEUMOTHORAX AND/OR HEMOTHORAX

摘要

A method and device are provided for simultaneously or near-simultaneously diagnosing and treating tension pneumothorax and/or hemothoraxA Veress-type needle portion includes a hollow needle for puncturing the chest wall over a blunt hollow probe biased by one or more springs to extend distally into the pleural cavity. Openings in the blunt hollow probe connect via a pathway to an automatic check valve, which permits the flow of air and/or fluid only in a proximal direction. Pressure from within the pleural cavity is transmitted to the interior surface of a pressure documenter. If pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is present in the pleural cavity, the pressure documenter will be automatically urged proximally to simultaneously allow air and/or fluid to escape from the pleural space through the device, thus treating the tension pneumothorax and/or hemothorax, as well as providing a stable indicator to positively document the diagnosis of increased pressure.