Case Report: Traumatic Tension Pneumothorax in a Pediatric Patient.

ABSTRACT: This case demonstrates the importance of quickly identifying a pediatric patient in acute respiratory distress secondary to pneumothorax and highlights the emergent management of these patients. The 16-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department (ED) with a chief complaint of right-sided rib pain and shortness of breath that began acutely after an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident. The patient was in respiratory distress upon presentation and had diminished right-sided breath sounds. A portable chest X-ray demonstrated pneumothorax with significant mediastinal leftward shift. Needle decompression of the right chest wall was performed and right sided thoracostomy was placed. It is important to maintain a high index of suspicion for tension pneumothorax in pediatric trauma p

SUBMITTER: Tritsch Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10332764 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature