Question

While assessing a patient who was ejected from his truck, the EMT notices that his chest collapses and his abdomen rises during inhalation. What should the EMT suspect?

A) Spinal cord injury
B) Fractured sternum
C) Ruptured diaphragm
D) Intra-abdominal bleeding

Answer 1

The EMT should suspect a spinal cord injury due to the paradoxical breathing pattern observed, which is not typically caused by a fractured sternum, ruptured diaphragm, or intra-abdominal bleeding.

Step-by-step explanation:

The EMT's observation that the patient's chest collapses and abdomen rises during inhalation is characteristic of paradoxical breathing, which often suggests a significant issue with the neuromuscular systems involved in breathing. Given the context of the patient having been ejected from his truck, the most likely suspect would be a spinal cord injury. Damage to the spinal cord can cause a disruption in the signals from the brain to the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, leading to the observed abnormal respiratory pattern.

While a fractured sternum, ruptured diaphragm, or intra-abdominal bleeding can also result from traumatic injury and affect breathing, they do not typically produce the described paradoxical breathing pattern that is suggestive of a neurological deficit in the control of the respiratory muscles. Therefore, spinal cord injury (A) is the most appropriate suspicion.