Presentation
Acute chest pain.
Patient Data
Age: 25 years
Gender: Male
From the case:
Large pneumothorax with no mediastinal shift
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Large left pneumothorax with complete collapse of the left lung. Increased volume of the left hemithorax but no mediastinal shift.
Case Discussion
Typical features of increased hemithoracic volume with increased rib spacing and depression of the hemidiaphragm but remarkably there is no mediastinal shift. Incredibly the patient was only mildly hypoxic and only complained of 6/10 pleuritic chest pain.
This case illustrates an important concept: tension pneumothorax is a CLINICAL diagnosis. Despite the signs of increased volume due to the large pneumothorax, the diagnosis of tension requires appropriate clinical signs.
The patient was treated successfully with an ICC for 2 days.
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