A 23yo man has been stabbed in the back and has SOB. The trachea is not deviated, he has
engorged neck veins and absent breath sounds on the right. What is the most appropriate dx?
a. Tension pneumothorax
b. Cardiac tamponade
c. Simple pneumothorax
d. Hemothorax
e. Pleural effusion
answer A..... technically it should be an open pneumothorax in cases of a stab wound but the flap of skin can occlude the wound leading to a tension pneumothorax.. n.b tracheal deviation may happen but none of the classic signs are always present for sure, they may or may not appear
why not hemothorax?
ReplyDeleteI think hemothorax. I could be wrong though
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