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Preventing procedural complications has been an active area of research since the Institute of Medicine's report, “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System,” was released in 1999. Thoracentesis, a procedure that often is performed by residents and hospitalists, can cause iatrogenic pneumothoraces, which are associated with excess morbidity and mortality and longer hospital lengths of stay. Chest tube placement is required in as many as 50% of pneumothorax patients. Although thoracentesis is considered to be a technically straightforward procedure, we know little about risk factors associated with pneumothorax and ways to mitigate this risk, including whether real-time ultrasound guidance is beneficial.
Researchers reviewed all availab…