Pneumothorax Signs and Symptoms

Which size chest tube should be prepared for a suspected hemothorax in an adult?

When the patient arrives in the ED, a chest tube is inserted. The tube is connected to a water-seal bottle that has a moderate air and fluid leak seen on expiration. When the patient is taken to the radiology department, the bottle is accidently broken. Which nursing action should be taken?

Autotransfusion usually is indicated for a patient with which condition?

In a patient with multiple rib fractures, which nursing intervention would be appropriate to encourage optimal ventilation?

In a patient with a massive flail chest, all of the following factors are indications for ventilatory support except:

The nurse assesses a patient at risk for respiratory failure. All of the following are early signs of respiratory failure except:

A 25-year-old man drives to the ED after falling off a roof and landing on his right side on a concrete abutment. His chief complaints are dyspnea and significant chest pain. All of the following nursing actions would ensure proper ventilation and perfusion in this patient except:

Which injury constitutes flail chest?

Which is the most common cause of impaired gas exchange after blunt chest trauma?

Fracture of the scapula or first or second rib indicates a serious force of injury and a high probability of underlying tissue damage. The nurse knows that, in the emergent phase of care, pulmonary contusion is best indicated by:

Acute respiratory failure in a patient with essentially normal lung tissue usually is indicated by:

In a patient with atelectasis, the nurse would expect to hear bronchial breath sounds over the:

The nurse knows that flail chest is easiest to assess: