An otherwise healthy 25-year-old male arrived to the emergen…
An otherwise healthy 25-year-old male arrived to the emergency department today with complaints of sudden shortness of breath and left-sided chest pain. A chest x-ray confirmed a spontaneous left-sided closed pneumothorax. A chest tube was inserted into his left midaxillary area in the emergency department and he was admitted and transported to a medical unit in the hospital. Currently he is alert, oriented, and anxious. He verbalized 6/10 pain using the pain intensity scale. Vital signs: Blood pressure=138/80 mm Hg, pulse = 115 bpm, respirations = 24 breaths per minute and shallow. Left-sided breath sounds are absent upon auscultation. Oxygen saturation is 91%. His chest tube is attached to a three-chamber wall suction chest drainage unit.