Overview
Introduction: the Bedside Pattern
A pneumothorax is air in the pleural space, where it interferes with the pressure relationship that keeps the lung expanded.
A pneumothorax is air in the pleural space, where it interferes with the pressure relationship that keeps the lung expanded. The usual bedside pattern is sudden pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea, and reduced or absent breath sounds on one side; percussion may be hyperresonant over that hemithorax. The priority changes sharply when the trapped air raises intrathoracic pressure enough to impair venous return. Hypotension, jugular venous distention, or tracheal deviation away from the affected side suggests tension pneumothorax and demands immediate escalation.