During the secondary rapid trauma survey, which chest assessment action is performed?

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Multiple Choice

During the secondary rapid trauma survey, which chest assessment action is performed?

In the secondary rapid trauma survey, you assess the chest to evaluate ventilation and identify thoracic injuries that could compromise breathing. The action most appropriate here is auscultating the chest—listening to breath sounds on both sides to determine if air is moving properly, whether sounds are present or absent, and if there are signs of pneumothorax, hemothorax, contusion, or airway problems. While inspection and palpation help you detect deformities, tenderness, crepitus, and chest wall instability, they don’t alone reveal how well air is flowing in and out. Percussion isn’t routinely relied on in the field due to limited usefulness and practicality. So auscultation of the chest is the key step in this portion of the exam.

In the secondary rapid trauma survey, you assess the chest to evaluate ventilation and identify thoracic injuries that could compromise breathing. The action most appropriate here is auscultating the chest—listening to breath sounds on both sides to determine if air is moving properly, whether sounds are present or absent, and if there are signs of pneumothorax, hemothorax, contusion, or airway problems. While inspection and palpation help you detect deformities, tenderness, crepitus, and chest wall instability, they don’t alone reveal how well air is flowing in and out. Percussion isn’t routinely relied on in the field due to limited usefulness and practicality. So auscultation of the chest is the key step in this portion of the exam.

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