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Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

A tension pneumothorax may present with:

  • breathlessness
  • sudden onset of unilateral pleuritic chest pain
  • cyanosis
  • tachypnoea
  • hypotension and cardiorespiratory collapse

Examination reveals:

  • deviation of the trachea and apex beat away from the the affected side
  • reduced or absent chest expansion on the affected side
  • hyper-resonant percussion note on the affected side
  • reduced breath sounds
  • reduced or absent vocal resonance

Chest radiography confirms the diagnosis, and also may show surgical emphysema in the case of accompanying rib fracture. However, the condition is an emergency - the patient may die within minutes - and so the diagnosis is made clinically.

Reference:

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