ArticleTransfusion2025
Finger thoracostomy: Significant risks and unproven benefits in prehospital settings.
Article in Transfusion, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Finger thoracostomy: Significant risks and unproven benefits in prehospital settings.Transfusion · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTrauma is a leading cause of preventable death, with a significant portion of trauma deaths occurring in the prehospital setting. Interventions such as chest drainage may play a critical role in managing life-threatening conditions but face challenges due to poorly defined indications and reliance on anecdotal evidence rather than rigorous studies. Among chest drainage techniques, finger thoracostomy (FT) is a well-described, but controversial, method for decompressing the pleural cavity in emergencies like tension pneumothorax or hemothorax. Despite its simplicity and minimal equipment requirements, FT carries risks, including bleeding, infection, organ injury, temporary effects, and procedural failure. STUDY DESIGN AND
methodsThis study examines eight FT procedures performed by Israel Defense Forces providers during the 2023-2024 "Swords of Iron" War in Gaza.
resultsAll patients sustained severe penetrating injuries, with mixed outcomes. One case highlighted severe complications, including infection and empyema weeks later. Additionally, challenges in maintaining up-to-date knowledge and adherence to protocols among reservists led to unauthorized FT procedures, emphasizing the dangers of improvisation without evidence. DISCUSSION: Our findings, coupled with limited evidence for FT's effectiveness in prehospital settings, raise questions about its appropriateness in trauma care. These concerns highlight the critical importance of adhering to validated and evidence-based protocols in all aspects of medical practice. Deviating from such protocols not only introduces unnecessary risks but also undermines the standardization essential for optimal patient care. Further research is needed to clarify the role, if any, of FT in prehospital trauma management.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.