Question

8 yo struck y car; alert, anxious, respiratory distress; receiving 10L/min flow of 100% oxygen by nonrebreathing face mask.

Respiratory rate is 60/min, HR 150/min, systolic BP 70 mmHg, and spO2 84%. Breath sounds are absent over the right chest but present over the left chest, and the trachea is deviated to the left.

He has weak central pulses and absent distal pulses. Intervention?

Answer 1

The intervention for this patient should include initiating immediate thoracostomy, or a chest tube insertion, to relieve the tension pneumothorax.

Step-by-step explanation:

The intervention for this patient should include initiating immediate thoracostomy, or a chest tube insertion, to relieve the tension pneumothorax.

The absence of breath sounds over the right chest and deviation of the trachea to the left are indicative of a tension pneumothorax.

The weak central pulses and absent distal pulses suggest impaired circulation, which could be due to compression of the great vessels by the pneumothorax.

The patient's respiratory distress, low oxygen saturation (spO2), and decreased blood pressure further support the diagnosis of tension pneumothorax.