If signs of tension pneumothorax are present, what immediate action should be performed?

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Multiple Choice

If signs of tension pneumothorax are present, what immediate action should be performed?

When tension pneumothorax is suspected, the priority is immediate decompression to relieve the pressure and restore venous return to the heart. The trapped air under pressure collapses the lung and pushes the mediastinum, which can rapidly cause shock and respiratory collapse. The quickest, life-saving action is to relieve the pressure with needle decompression (needle thoracostomy) or a chest thoracostomy as promptly as possible. Do not delay for imaging like an X-ray, as that would waste critical seconds; imaging is not required to treat this condition in the field. While IV fluids may be used to support perfusion, they do not resolve the obstructive physiology and do not substitute for decompression.

When tension pneumothorax is suspected, the priority is immediate decompression to relieve the pressure and restore venous return to the heart. The trapped air under pressure collapses the lung and pushes the mediastinum, which can rapidly cause shock and respiratory collapse. The quickest, life-saving action is to relieve the pressure with needle decompression (needle thoracostomy) or a chest thoracostomy as promptly as possible. Do not delay for imaging like an X-ray, as that would waste critical seconds; imaging is not required to treat this condition in the field. While IV fluids may be used to support perfusion, they do not resolve the obstructive physiology and do not substitute for decompression.

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