Management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: Did practice change after a landmark multicentre study?

OBJECTIVE

To compare management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) before and after the completion of multicentre study which showed non-inferiority of conservative compared to interventional treatment for PSP.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study of patients aged 14-50 years with a first diagnosis of medium to large PSP before and after March 2019 in a tertiary ED. Medical record and radiology database review were used to identify demographic, clinical and radiological data.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients receiving an intervention in the ED decreased from 31.3% (10/32) to 12.5% (3/24).

CONCLUSION

Intervention for management of PSP is less frequent, suggesting adoption and implementation of best evidence.