Autotransfusion usually is indicated for a patient with which condition?

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?

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

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:

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

The nurse knows that flail chest is easiest to assess:

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

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

When assessing a patient with acute respiratory failure resulting from impaired ventilation, the nurse would initially expect to note:

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

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

Which injury constitutes flail chest?

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