ABSTRACT
A 22-year-old pregnant lady is brought to the hospital having been involved in a road traffic accident. She is conscious and communicating verbally, but she becomes increasingly breathless. On examination her pulse is 98 beats/minute and her blood pressure is 100/60 mmHg. Her oxygen saturation is 89 per cent on air. Respiratory examination shows a trachea displaced to the left and asymmetrical chest movements, diminished on the right side. Percussion shows hyperresonance throughout the right side, and breath sounds are muffled on the right. H The history is suggestive of a tension pneumothorax.
