Every trauma nurse knows this feeling: your stable patient suddenly starts to decompensate and instinct tells you there’s more to the story. Today’s case starts with a stable, post-arrest patient and ends in a full-blown tension pneumothorax.
Hear why this patient went from stable to crashing in minutes, how delayed recognition changed the course of care, what diagnostics and assessments could have caught earlier. Trauma Pete breaks down the tell-tale signs, how it differs from a simple pneumothorax, and why it's so easy to miss in trauma patients.
In this episode, you’ll learn which patients are the most at risk, how to spot tension pneumothorax early, and why having a systematic approach to decompression make all the difference!
Topics discussed in this episode:
- Presentation of a stable, post-arrest patient
- The patient's rapid decline and first interventions
- Why they misread the signs of tension pneumothorax
- Pneumothorax in intubated vs. non-intubated patients
- The physiology of tension simple vs. tension pneumothorax
- Bedside clues and diagnostic signs of tension pneumothorax
- Early intervention and treatment priorities
- Emergent needle decompression: timing, technique, and follow-up
- Chest tube placement and management: tips, troubleshooting, and air leaks
Mentioned in this episode:
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Listen to the In The Heart of Care Podcast
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