Anatomy & Ventilation Mechanics
This is the term for the body's ability to move air in and out of the chest and lung tissue.
What is ventilation?
This is the general term for an accumulation of air in the pleural space.
What is a pneumothorax?
This condition is defined as blood collection in the pleural space from bleeding around the rib cage, lung, or a great vessel.
What is hemothorax?
For a patient who is finding it difficult to take a deep breath after chest trauma, this is your first intervention (assuming a patent airway).
What is administering high-flow oxygen?
A sudden blow to the chest timed to the critical portion of the heartbeat, causing immediate cardiac arrest that often responds to CPR and defibrillation (Damar Hamlin).
What is commotio cordis?
This is the term for the process of delivering oxygen to the blood by diffusion from the alveoli after inhalation.
What is oxygenation?
This type of dressing is placed over a sucking chest wound immediately after you've addressed the airway and given oxygen.
What is an occlusive dressing (chest seal)?
This condition occurs when the pericardial sac fills with blood or fluid, leaving the heart unable to pump adequately.
What is cardiac (pericardial) tamponade?
This is how often you should reassess a patient with a significant chest injury (unstable).
What is every 5 minutes?
You should always suspect this injury - alveoli filling with blood and fluid - in any patient who has a flail chest.
What is pulmonary contusion?
This muscle group extends between the ribs and, along with the diaphragm, drives the active portion of ventilation.
What are the intercostal muscles?
This one-way valve lets air leave the chest cavity but not return to it.
What is a flutter valve?
Two or more adjacent ribs, each broken in two or more places, causing a segment of the chest wall to move opposite the rest of the chest.
What is a flail chest?
The "P" in DCAP-BTLS stands for these.
What are punctures and penetrations?
Distended neck veins, cyanosis of the face and neck, and hemorrhage in the sclera together characterize this condition from sudden, severe chest compression.
What is traumatic asphyxia?
You get this value by multiplying tidal volume by the number of breaths taken in one minute.
What is minute ventilation?
Absent breath sounds, JVD, and tracheal deviation (a late sign) point to this condition.
What is tension pneumothorax?
Distended jugular veins, a narrowing pulse pressure, and muffled heart sounds together make up this classic three-part sign.
What is Beck's triad?
Older teaching had you splint a flail segment or cover it with a bulky dressing to restrict movement. Now do this instead.
What is DO NOT restrict the flail segment's movement?
Almost one-third of people killed immediately in car crashes die from a traumatic rupture of this great vessel.
What is the aorta?
According to the textbook, spinal nerves originating at these two cervical levels stimulate the intercostal muscles.
What are C6 and C7?
Once a lung has collapsed past this percentage range, you may start to hear diminished breath sounds on that side.
What is 30% to 40%?
This single term describes the presence of BOTH air and blood in the pleural space at the same time.
What is hemopneumothorax?
A crackling sensation felt when you palpate the skin around a chest injury indicative of air trapped under the skin.
What is subcutaneous emphysema?
A fracture of this bone - which protects a large neurovascular bundle near the shoulder - should raise your suspicion for an upper rib fracture and a developing pneumothorax.
What is a clavicle?