Question

A 50-year-old male presents with hypotension, hypoxemia, and tracheal deviation to the left. tests reveal that the air pressure in the pleural cavity exceeds barometric pressure in the atmosphere. based upon these assessment findings, what does the nurse suspect the patient is experiencing?

Answer 1

In this case, the nurse would believe that the patient was experiencing Tension pneumothorax. Tension pneumothorax is the build up of air over time in a pleura space. It is generally caused by a laceration in the lung which lets air pass into the pleura space but then get stuck there. It presents a pressure which makes ventilation difficult, it cause the same effects as a one way valve.