A 20-year-old tall, slim male patient comes to the emergency department with complaints of an inability to breathe and a sharp pain in the left side of his chest.The assessment findings include cyanosis, tachypnea, tracheal deviation to the right, decreased tactile fremitus on the left, hyper-resonance on the left, and decreased breath sounds on the left.The nurse interprets that these assessment findings are consistent with:

Question

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The assessment findings including tracheal deviation to the right, decreased tactile fremitus on the left, hyper-resonance on the left, and decreased breath sounds on the left are all classic signs of a pneumothorax. Cyanosis and tachypnea may also be present due to decreased oxygenation. Bronchitis and acute pneumonia typically present with bilateral chest findings, and an asthmatic attack would not cause tracheal deviation or hyper-resonance.

A 20-Year-Old Tall, Slim Male Patient Comes to the Emergency