FL Department Receives Training in New Life-Saving Technique

Coconut Creek firefighters are learning a new life-saving technique.

“I wanted to give our paramedics one more tool in the toolbox to take advantage of, and to hopefully save a life out there,” Coconut Creek Asst. Chief Tony Chin told WPLG Local 10.

Finger thoracostomy is a procedure typically reserved for emergency room hospitals.

“We open up the chest cavity with a small incision, about one inch, to let all the air out so that the heart can re-expand and also produce a pulse,” Chin said.

The goal is to relieve pressure that can build up from blunt force trauma to the chest.

The training is overseen by the department's medical director.

“Somebody, somewhere, some department is going to do this procedure and it’s going to save a life,” said Chin.