I've been asking all of the experienced field medics about this device, and so far most people haven't used it or seen it used.... Does anyone carry this in their aid-bag?
I got the chance to administer a Cook Catheter in Tampa, and had a great long talk about this device with a Doc at Ireland Army Hospital at FT Knox during my SOC-T...
The kit is light, self contained, and small... a negligable space or weight concern. Basically a nice big flexible cath with (if I remember correctly) some additional fenstrations. Inserts 2nd ICS MCL just like a standard decompression, but has built-in Heimlich and can be connected to standard pleurevac. In Tampa we used this device for definitive care on a roughly 30% spontaneous left-side pneumo, and X-rays demstrated full efficacy of treatment. The docs at both hospitals said that it is very common that this device can eliminate the need for a more invasive and painful chest-tube. This seems ideal to me for field use as an alternative to many chest-tubes, particularly for the borderline cases, such as a GSW to chest that must go on a bird, but may not display S/S of pneumo. I'd sure hate to stick a field-finger in that guy's pleural space, but this needle might be a good compromise.
Anyone have any experience or thoughts on this type of device?
http://www.armstrongmedical.com/ami/...=71&itemid=721