Thoracostomy and Thoracotomy for Emergency Management of Pediatric Pleural Space Pathologies (Trauma CME)

CME Information

Date of Original Release: April 1, 2026. Date of most recent review: March 1, 2026. Termination date: April 1, 2029.

Accreditation: EB Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation: EB Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Specialty CME: Included as part of the 4 credits, this CME activity is eligible for 4 Trauma CME credits, subject to your state and institutional approval.

ACEP Accreditation: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Practice is approved by the American College of Emergency Physicians for 52 hours of ACEP Category I credit per annual subscription.

AAP Accreditation: This continuing medical education activity has been reviewed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and is acceptable for a maximum of 52 AAP credits. These credits can be applied toward the AAP CME/CPD Award available to Fellows and Candidate Members of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

AOA Accreditation: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Practice is eligible for up to 4 American Osteopathic Association Category 2-B credit hours per issue.

Needs Assessment: The need for this educational activity was determined by a practice gap analysis; a survey of medical staff, including the editorial board of this publication; review of morbidity and mortality data from the CDC, AHA, NCHS, and ACEP; and evaluation responses from prior educational activities for emergency physicians.

Target Audience: This enduring material is designed for emergency medicine physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and residents.

Goals: Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to: (1) identify areas in practice that require modification to be consistent with current evidence in order to improve competence and performance; (2) develop strategies to accurately diagnose and treat both common and critical ED presentations; and (3) demonstrate informed medical decision-making based on the strongest clinical evidence.

CME Objectives: Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to: (1) differentiate between common causes of pediatric pleural space disease, based on patient history, physical examination, and clinical presentation; (2) identify appropriate indications for needle decompression, large-bore chest tube, and pigtail catheter; and (3) apply evidence-based approaches to manage pediatric patients with pleural space disease, including strategies for pain control and postprocedural monitoring.

Discussion of Investigational Information: As part of the activity, faculty may be presenting investigational information about pharmaceutical products that is outside Food and Drug Administration-approved labeling. Information presented as part of this activity is intended solely as continuing medical education and is not intended to promote off-label use of any pharmaceutical product.

Disclosure: It is the policy of EB Medicine to ensure objectivity, balance, independence, transparency, and scientific rigor in all CME activities. All individuals in a position to control content have disclosed all financial relationships with ACCME-defined ineligible companies. EB Medicine has assessed all relationships with ineligible companies disclosed, identified those financial relationships deemed relevant, and appropriately mitigated all relevant financial relationships based on each individual’s role(s). The planners and faculty for this activity have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Planners

• Ilene Claudius, MD (Editor-in-Chief)
• Tim Horeczko, MD, PhD, MSCR (Editor-in-Chief)
• James Naprawa, MD (Guest Editor-in-Chief)

Faculty

• Chantel Johnson, MD (Author)
• James Dodington, MD (Author)
• Ilene Claudius, MD (Peer Reviewer)
• Kaitlyn Votta, MD (Peer Reviewer)
• Aimee Mishler, PharmD (Pharmacology Editor)
• Brian Skrainka, MD (CME Question Editor)
• Cheryl Belton, PhD (Content Editor)
• Angie Wallace (Content Editor)

Earning CME Credit: Learners can earn credit by going to www.ebmedicine.net and selecting the test they wish to complete. To receive credit, they must score 100% on the test and complete the evaluation. After completing these steps, a CME certificate will be emailed to them.

Additional Policies: For additional policies, including our statement of conflict of interest, source of funding, statement of informed consent, and statement of human and animal rights, visit https://www.ebmedicine.net/policies.