Question

A teenage patient comes to the emergency department with complaints of an inability to "breathe and a sharp pain in my left chest." The assessment findings include the following: cyanosis, tachypnea, tracheal deviation to the right, decreased tactile fremitus on the left, hyperresonance on the left, and decreased breath sounds on the left. This description is consistent with:

1.bronchitis.
2.a pneumothorax.
3.acute pneumonia.
4.an asthmatic attack.

Answer 1

The symptoms described suggest the patient is experiencing a pneumothorax, which is a collapsed lung due to air in the pleural space.

Step-by-step explanation:

The symptoms and assessment findings described by the student are indicative of a pneumothorax. Features such as cyanosis, tachypnea, tracheal deviation to the right, decreased tactile fremitus, hyperresonance, and decreased breath sounds on the left side of the chest are characteristic of a pneumothorax, which is air in the pleural space causing lung collapse. This diagnosis is different from other respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and an asthmatic attack, which have different clinical presentations and physical examination findings.