Question

You respond to a one-vehicle car crash in a remote area. Upon assessment of the driver, you note the patient to be in acute respiratory distress with absent breath sounds on the right side, jugular vein distention, hyperresonance to percussion on the right chest wall, normal heart tones and tracheal deviation to the left. You suspect:

Answer 1

The patient likely has a tension pneumothorax, a serious condition requiring immediate medical intervention to relieve pressure in the chest.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given the symptoms of acute respiratory distress, absent breath sounds on the right side, jugular vein distention, hyperresonance to percussion on the right chest wall, normal heart tones, and tracheal deviation to the left, the patient is likely suffering from a tension pneumothorax. This is a life-threatening condition where air enters the pleural space and cannot escape, leading to increased pressure in the chest that impairs breathing and blood circulation. Immediate medical intervention, typically in the form of needle decompression followed by chest tube insertion, is required to relieve the pressure.