Chapter 29 Chest Injuries
Distended jugular veins, narrowing pulse pressure, and muffled heart tones are collectively known as _______.
Beck's triad
You are transporting a stable patient with a possible pneumothorax. The patient is receiving high-flow oxygen and has an oxygen saturation of 95%. During your reassessment, you find that the patient is now confused, hypotensive, and profusely diaphoretic. What is MOST likely causing this patient's deterioration?
Compression of the aorta and vena cava
A patient with a chest injury has a blood pressure of 100/60 mm Hg and a pulse rate of 120 beats/min. Which of the following additional findings should make you suspect a pericardial tamponade?
Repeat BP of 90/68 mm Hg
A 19-year-old male is unresponsive, apneic, and pulseless after being struck in the center of the chest with a softball. Based on the mechanism of injury, what MOST likely occurred?
Ventricular fibrillation when the impact occurred during a critical portion of the cardiac cycle
Pneumothorax is defined as:
accumulation of air in the pleural space.
Patients with rib fractures will commonly:
breathe rapidly and shallowly.
Signs and symptoms of a tension pneumothorax include all of the following, EXCEPT:
collapsed jugular veins
Paradoxical motion is a sign of a _______.
flail chest
Common signs and symptoms of a chest injury include all of the following, EXCEPT:
hematemesis
The pliability of the pediatric rib cage _______.
increases the risk of internal injury
The treatment for relieving a tension pneumothorax involves:
inserting a needle through the rib cage into the pleural space.
Hemoptysis indicates damage to the _______.
lungs
The esophagus, trachea, and great vessels reside in the _______.
mediastinum
If a person's tidal volume decreases, but his or her respiratory rate remains unchanged:
minute volume will decrease.
A rapid, irregular pulse following blunt trauma to the chest is MOST suggestive of a:
myocardial contusion.
Irritation or damage to the pleural surfaces that causes sharp chest pain during inhalation is called:
pleurisy.
Following blunt trauma to the chest, an 18-year-old female presents with respiratory distress, shallow breathing, and cyanosis. Her blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg and her pulse is 130 beats/min and thready. You should:
provide ventilation assistance with a BVM.
When assessing a patient with a hemothorax, you will MOST likely find:
signs and symptoms of shock
Immediate death from blunt chest trauma following a motor vehicle crash is MOST often the result of:
traumatic aortic rupture.
The body's ability to move air in and out of the lungs is called _______.
ventilation