A patient with blunt chest wall trauma has a flail section to her chest. She is conscious and confused and breathing rapidly and shallowly. After manually stabilizing the flail section of the chest wall, the EMT best treats this condition by:

Question

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A flail chest segment is a paradoxical movement of a segment of the chest wall in which the segment moves inward during inspiration and outward during expiration. This results in ineffective ventilation and inadequate oxygenation. The best treatment for a flail chest is positive pressure ventilation, which can help improve ventilation and oxygenation. Applying ice packs or inserting an oropharyngeal airway are not appropriate treatments for this condition. Administering oxygen through a nonrebreather face mask may help improve oxygenation, but it will not address the underlying issue of ineffective ventilation.

A Patient with Blunt Chest Wall Trauma Has a Flail