FOI 26-386 Prehospital Needle Decompression/Needle Thoracostomy
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 26-386 Prehospital Needle Decompression/Needle Thoracostomy
- Request Date
- 26 Aug 2026
- Response Date
- 18 Sep 2026
- Information Requested
Please could you provide the following information regarding your ambulance service's current practice:
- Does your ambulance service currently provide a device for prehospital needle decompression/needle thoracostomy?
- If yes, please provide the manufacturer and model/device name.
- Please provide the needle/catheter length and gauge, where available.
- Does your service use TPAK/pneumofix or another dedicated pneumothorax/needle thoracostomy device? If so, which staff are trained to use them?
- What is the cost per unit of these devices in comparison to standard IV cannulas?
- If this information is routinely recorded, please provide the number of prehospital needle decompression/needle thoracostomy procedures performed by the ambulance service for suspected tension pneumothorax during each of the last five complete calendar years (2021–2025).
- Response
- Does your ambulance service currently provide a device for prehospital needle decompression/needle thoracostomy? - Yes
- If yes, please provide the manufacturer and model/device name. - TPAK Chest Decompression Needle
- Please provide the needle/catheter length and gauge, where available. - 14g, 3.25”
- Does your service use TPAK/pneumofix or another dedicated pneumothorax/needle thoracostomy device? If so, which staff are trained to use them?
Yes, the Scottish Ambulance Service use the TPAK. The staff trained are Paramedics, Advanced Practitioners Critical Care, Advanced Practitioner in Urgent Care, Advanced Retrieval Practitioners
- What is the cost per unit of these devices in comparison to standard IV cannulas?
We do not hold the standard unit price information requested. Furthermore, disclosure of the unit prices paid by the Scottish Ambulance Service would reveal commercially sensitive pricing information, including negotiated supplier rates, and would be likely to prejudice substantially the commercial interests of both the supplier and the Service. Therefore, this information is exempt under section 33(1)(b) of FOISA.
- If this information is routinely recorded, please provide the number of prehospital needle decompression/needle thoracostomy procedures performed by the ambulance service for suspected tension pneumothorax during each of the last five complete calendar years (2021–2025).
It is important to note when interpreting this data
The figures cover the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2025 and have been extracted from two different versions of the clinical recording system.
For T2, records were identified where “Needle Decompression” was recorded as “Yes”. The T2 dataset does not include a separate filter confirming that tension pneumothorax was suspected.
For T3, records were identified only where both “Needle Decompression” was recorded as “Yes” and “Tension Pneumothorax Suspected” was recorded as “Yes”.
This report has been produced in two parts due to the phased introduction and ongoing integration of a new clinical recording system. The T2 and T3 datasets use different recording structures and extraction criteria, with an overlap between the systems during the transition period. The figures are therefore presented separately and should not be added together to produce a combined total, as this would not provide a reliable measure of activity. The figures reflect procedures as recorded within each system and are dependent on the accuracy and completeness of clinical data entry.
The table below provides the number of recorded prehospital needle decompression or needle thoracostomy procedures during each of the requested calendar years.
Calendar year
T2 records
T3 records
2021
42
0
2022
39
0
2023
42
0
2024
39
0
2025
16
33
