when to use Decompression Needles?

Thoracentesis is an operation in which a sterilised needle from China factory is used to puncture through the skin, intercostal tissue and mural pleura into the pleural cavity. In clinical work in pulmonary medicine, thoracentesis is a relatively common, convenient and easy method of diagnosis and treatment.

When it comes to thoracentesis, many patients feel scared. It is not as easy to accept a decompression needle in the buttocks as it is to pierce the chest cavity, where the heart and lungs are located. It is important to know what the patient should be aware of and how to cooperate well. The danger can be said to be almost non-existent when operating according to the protocol. Therefore, we believe that thoracentesis is safe and there is absolutely nothing to fear.

What should the operator be aware of? This is a question that every one of us should have a good grasp of, the indications for thoracentesis, the operational essentials, and in particular the fact that the China decompression needle must be introduced at the upper edge of the rib cage and never at the lower edge of the rib cage, otherwise the blood vessels and nerves along the lower edge of the rib cage will be accidentally injured. The patient must be carefully disinfected and the operation must be absolutely sterile. Do a good job with the patient, avoid anxiety and nervousness and obtain close cooperation with the doctor. If necessary, stop the operation and take immediate bed rest for resuscitation.

What should the patient be aware of? Firstly, the patient should be prepared to work closely with the doctor and eliminate fear, anxiety and nervousness. Secondly, the patient should not cough and should rest well in bed beforehand. If he/she is unwell, he/she should explain this to the doctor so that he/she can consider what to pay attention to during the operation or to suspend it. Thirdly, the patient should lie still for about two hours after the thoracentesis.

A final mention of lung puncture, which is actually a deeper penetration of the thoracic cavity, where the decompression needle is passed through the pleural cavity and through the dirty pleura into the lung. Its purpose is also twofold: primarily to perform a biopsy of the lung parenchyma, to aspirate fluid from the cavity or bronchial cavity for further examination and to clarify the diagnosis, and secondly to treat certain diseases through lung puncture, such as aspiration of pus from poorly drained cavities and, if necessary, injection of drugs for therapeutic purposes. However, lung puncture is demanding and the operation should be carried out more carefully, carefully and quickly to minimise time. The patient should cooperate more closely, should breathe steadily and should not cough, and should receive a detailed examination before the puncture so that the doctor can position the puncture correctly and improve the success rate of the puncture.

Therefore, as long as the doctor follows the procedure and operates carefully, the patient eliminates his fears and cooperates closely with the doctor. Thoracentesis is very safe and there is absolutely nothing to fear.

The whole process:

1. Ask the patient to take a sitting position facing the back of the chair with both forearms on the back of the chair and the forehead resting on the forearms. If you cannot get up, you can sit in a semi-sitting position, with the affected forearm raised on the occiput.

2. The puncture point is chosen at the most obvious part of the chest with solid percussion sounds. The puncture point is marked on the skin with a cotton swab dipped in methyl violet (gentian violet).

3. Routinely disinfect the skin, wear sterile gloves and cover with a sterile cavity wipe.

4. Local infiltration anaesthesia is applied with 2% lidocaine from the skin to the pleural wall layer at the puncture site on the upper edge of the next rib.

5. The operator fixes the skin at the puncture site with the index finger and middle finger of the left hand, and with the right hand turns the tee bolt of the puncture decompression needle to close with the thoracic cavity, then slowly punctures the decompression needle at the anaesthetic site. When the feeling of resistance of the needle blade suddenly disappears, the tee bolt is turned to open it to the thoracic cavity for aspiration. The assistant assists in securing the puncture needle with haemostatic forceps to prevent damage to the lung tissue from penetrating too deeply. When the syringe is full, the tee is turned to open it to the outside world and the fluid is drained.

At the end of the aspiration, the decompression needle is removed, covered with sterile gauze, compressed with a little pressure for a few moments, fixed with adhesive tape and then the patient is asked to lie still.