Partial Lung Collapse in Surgery — 32yo Man | Trauma Surgery | SMLE Q#17174
SMLE Question #17174
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 is anxious, pale, diaphoretic, and short of breath. Chest examination shows markedly decreased breath sounds and dullness to percussion over the right hemithorax; the trachea is midline. eFAST shows a large pleural fluid collection on the right with partial lung collapse. What is the most likely diagnosis?
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