Complications associated with the use of radial arterial catheters in relation to their length: Does size matter?

Background: Radial arterial catheters (RAC) are commonly used in emergency services and intensive care units (ICU) for continuous invasive monitoring of blood pressure and arterial blood gas sampling. Complications associated with RAC are rare. Regarding length of RAC catheters and complications, few studies were found in the literature.

Extension of the thoracic spine sign as a diagnostic marker for thoracic trauma.

Introduction: The initial evaluation of patients with thoracic trauma remains a diagnostic challenge for surgery and emergency physicians. Chest sonography plays a key role in the approach for this group of patients, through extended and focused evaluation with trauma sonography (E-FAST).

Objectives: To establish the diagnostic performance of the extension of the thoracic spine sign using chest sonography in trauma to diagnose hemothorax and compare it with the gold standard test chest computed tomography (CT).