Determination of the chest wall thicknesses and needle thoracostomy success rates at second and fifth intercostal spaces: a cadaver-based study

In this report, we present the largest cadaver-based cohort to date to the best of our knowledge, and we observed a statistically nonsignificant 9% more NT success rate at 2nd ICS at a power of 88% and statistically significant more success rate in males at 5th ICS was (47.7%). We also observed thinner CWTs and higher success rates than previous imaging-based studies. A BMI of 23 kg/m2 or less and weight of 72 kg or less seem to accurately rule-out NT failure in cadavers, and they seem to be better predictors at the bedside.