PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - R McRoberts
AU  - M McKechnie
AU  - S Leigh-Smith
TI  - Tension pneumothorax and the “forbidden CXR”
AID  - 10.1136/emj.2004.018598
DP  - 2005 Aug 01
TA  - Emergency Medicine Journal
PG  - 597--598
VI  - 22
IP  - 8
4099  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/22/8/597.short
4100  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/22/8/597.full
SO  - Emerg Med J2005 Aug 01; 22
AB  - A case is presented of unilateral tension pneumothorax associated with flail chest and pulmonary contusions in a spontaneously ventilating patient after a fall. The tension element was not suspected until chest x ray was available, nor was immediate needle thoracocentesis performed. No morbidity resulted as a consequence. This case highlights the difficulty in deciding whether or not tension pneumothorax is the predominant cause of respiratory distress in a patient with multiple chest injuries. It provides further evidence challenging some of the doctrine on how to treat suspected tension pneumothorax.