Chest Injuries

Question 1

What are the 3 causes of chest injury?

Answer 1

Blunt trauma.
Penetration.
Compression.

Question 2

What are the 6 types of categorised chest injuries?

Answer 2

Fractured ribs.
Flail segment.
Pneumothorax.
Open pneumothorax.
Haemothorax.
Tension pneumothorax.

Question 3

What is a flail segment?

Answer 3

Several ribs broken in more than one place causing a segment of the rib cage to detach from the main part

Question 4

In flail segment what types can you get

Answer 4

Lateral and

Anterior

Question 5

In flail segment injuries what can happen with anterior injury

Answer 5

The sternum can detach from the rib cage

Question 6

What is a spontaneous pneumothorax

Answer 6

Most common in young men

leakage of air from a small spontaneous rupture in lung surface creating a buildup of air in the pleural cavity

Question 7

What is an open pneumothorax and what is it also known as?

Answer 7

A sucking wound
Air sucked into Lungs and pleural cavity through an open chest wound and during inspiration
Some of the Air may bubble out of the wound when the patient exhales

Question 8

What is a haemothorax

Answer 8

Damage to the lungs and surrounding tissue causes bleeding into the pleural cavity

Question 9

What is the tension pneumothorax

Answer 9

Air enters pleural cavity though open chest wound but cannot escape due to a flap of tissue acting as a one-way valve

Question 10

What are the two main types of chest injury

Answer 10

Open

Closed

Question 11

8 signs of chest injury

Answer 11

Tachycardia.
Dyspnoea.
Tachypnoea.
Heamophysis.
Cyanosis.
Panic and anxiety.
Pain at site of injury.
Asymmetry of chest wall.

Question 12

7 signs of tension pneumothorax

Answer 12

Tracheal deviation.
Extreme resp distress.
Severe pain.
Pulse pressure narrowing.
Increasing cyanosis.
Decreased breath sounds and hyperressonance on side of pneumothorax.
Possible evidence of subcutaneous emphysema.

Question 13

How will a Haemothorax sound on percussion?

Answer 13

Dull sound

Question 14

How will a pneumothorax sound on percussion

Answer 14

Hollow

Question 15

How would you position a patient with a chest injury if conscious?

Answer 15

Semi recumbent or upright inclined to injured side

Question 16

How would you transport chest injury patient who’s unconscious?

Answer 16

Recovery with injured side lower to allow for drainage and good side to work effectively

Question 17

How would you manage chest injuries?

8

Answer 17

Open airway
High flow o2
Assisted ventilations
Sealing any wounds in upper and lateral margins only, with occlusive dressing.
Comfortable positioning. Sitting or semi recumbent but inclined to injured side.
Percussion and auscultation of chest wall
Rapid and smooth transport