Question 1
The nurse is assessing an adult patient following a motor vehicle accident. The nurse observes that the patient has an increased use of accessory muscles and is complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. The nurse should recognize the possibility of what condition?
- A. Pneumothorax
- B. Anxiety
- C. Acute bronchitis
- D. Aspiration
Show answer and rationale
Correct answer: A — Pneumothorax
Post-trauma symptoms like increased accessory muscle use, chest pain, and shortness of breath suggest a pneumothorax, where air in the pleural space collapses the lung, impairing ventilation. Accessory muscles (e.g., sternocleidomastoid) compensate for reduced lung expansion, while pain arises from pleural irritation or rib fractures, common in motor vehicle accidents. Anxiety may cause rapid breathing, but chest pain and accessory muscle use are less typical unless panic mimics trauma effects, which history rules out. Acute bronchitis, an inflammatory condition, presents with cough and mucus, not trauma-related dyspnea or pain. Aspiration involves inhaling foreign material, causing cough or infection, not immediate post-accident symptoms. The nurse's recognition of pneumothorax prompts urgent imaging (e.g., chest X-ray) and intervention (e.g., chest tube), critical given its potential to progress to tension pneumothorax in a trauma setting.