The nurse is assessing a client who has just arrived after an automobile accident and the nurse notes that the breath sounds are absent on the right side. Which of the following actions should the nurse anticipate?
A)Emergency pericardiocentesis
B)Stabilization of the chest wall with tape
C)Administration of an inhaled bronchodilator
D)Insertion of a chest tube with a chest drainage system

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The client's history and absent breath sounds suggest a right-sided pneumothorax or hemothorax, which will require treatment with a chest tube and drainage. The other therapies would be appropriate for an acute asthma attack, flail chest, or cardiac tamponade, but the client's clinical manifestations are not consistent with these problems.

The Nurse Is Assessing a Client Who Has Just Arrived