Right-sided Chest Pain in Surgery — 30yo Man | Trauma Surgery | SMLE Q#849
SMLE Question #849
Surgery
Trauma Surgery
Objective: OBJ-TRM-AIRWAY-01
Last updated: February 2026
A 30-year-old man is brought to the emergency department after a high-speed motor vehicle collision. He is alert but in severe respiratory distress with right-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. Examination shows distended neck veins, hyperresonance to percussion on the right, markedly decreased breath sounds on the right, and tracheal deviation to the left. Heart sounds are normal. Which of the following is the most likely cause of his findings?
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