The nurse is assessing a patient recovering from a motor vehicle crash. Which assessment finding indicates that the patient is experiencing a pneumothorax?
1. hyperresonance to percussion at the apex of the left lung
2. dullness to percussion at the base of the left lung
3. crackles throughout the left lung
4. shallow breathing
Correct Answer: 1
In pneumothorax, the percussion tone is hyperresonant due to the trapped air in the pleural space. Dullness to percussion is suggestive of fluid accumulation, such as in hemothorax. Crackles in the left lung suggest fluid accumulation in the alveoli. Shallow breathing can occur but is not specific to pneumothorax. It would also be seen in rib fractures and flail chest.
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