A nurse in the emergency department is assessing a patient with a moderate left pneumothorax. What does this nurse expect to find during the respiratory examination?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The air separating the lung from the chest where the nurse is auscultating creates distant to absent breath sounds. Increased fremitus occurs over lung consolidation as in lobar pneumonia or tumor. If this patient had a tension pneumothorax, the trachea would deviate to the right. Hyperresonant percussion tones are heard when the lung is overinflated as in emphysema.

A Nurse in the Emergency Department Is Assessing a Patient