Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Trauma Practice Test

A young male who was stabbed in the right lower chest is semiconscious with labored breathing, collapsed jugular veins, and absent breath sounds on the right side of his chest. This patient MOST likely has a:

1. hemothorax

2. liver laceration

3. pneumothorax

4. ruptured spleen

The correct answer is: hemothorax

The patient's presentation of a stab wound in the right lower chest with labored breathing, collapsed jugular veins, and absent breath sounds on the right side of the chest suggests a tension pneumothorax. In a tension pneumothorax, air accumulates in the pleural space, causing pressure to build up in the chest cavity, leading to lung collapse and impaired venous return to the heart, resulting in decreased cardiac output. This can lead to a life-threatening condition requiring immediate intervention to release the pressure and reinflate the affected lung. Hemothorax involves the accumulation of blood in the pleural space, usually due to trauma or injury to the chest. A liver laceration or ruptured spleen may cause internal bleeding, but they typically present with different signs and symptoms not seen in this case.