An assessment finding for pneumothorax?

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Multiple Choice

An assessment finding for pneumothorax?

Explanation:
A pneumothorax causes the lung to collapse on the affected side, so air movement and sound generation are reduced there. This leads to diminished or absent breath sounds when you listen with a stethoscope on that side. Rales at the bases come from fluid in the lungs, not a collapsed lung. Clear breath sounds on both sides don’t reflect a localized collapse, and wheezing throughout points to airway constriction rather than a focal pneumothorax. In practice, you’d also assess for rapid breathing and chest pain and confirm with imaging.

A pneumothorax causes the lung to collapse on the affected side, so air movement and sound generation are reduced there. This leads to diminished or absent breath sounds when you listen with a stethoscope on that side. Rales at the bases come from fluid in the lungs, not a collapsed lung. Clear breath sounds on both sides don’t reflect a localized collapse, and wheezing throughout points to airway constriction rather than a focal pneumothorax. In practice, you’d also assess for rapid breathing and chest pain and confirm with imaging.

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