When a client is admitted to the ED with tension pneumothorax and mediastinal shift following an automobile accident, the nurse would know that the client would exhibit
A) a sucking chest wound.
B) bradycardia.
C) mediastinal flutter.
D) severe hypotension.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mediastinal shift may cause (a) compression of the lung in the direction of the shift and (b) compression, traction, torsion, or kinking of the great vessels; thus blood return to the heart is dangerously impaired. The latter causes a subsequent decrease in cardiac output and blood pressure.

When a Client Is Admitted to the ED with Tension