Distended Neck Veins in Surgery — 32yo Man | Trauma Surgery | SMLE Q#1338
SMLE Question #1338
Surgery
Trauma Surgery
Objective: OBJ-TRM-AIRWAY-01
Last updated: February 2026
A 32-year-old man is brought to the emergency department after a high-speed motor vehicle collision. He has severe shortness of breath and right-sided chest pain. He is in marked respiratory distress with distended neck veins, tracheal deviation to the left, hyperresonance, and markedly reduced breath sounds over the right hemithorax. What is the most appropriate next step in management?
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