Sucking Chest Wound Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Sucking Chest Wound?
A sucking chest wound is a type of traumatic injury that occurs when a wound penetrates the chest wall and air enters the pleural cavity. The term sucking refers to the sound the patient makes due to air entering the pleural cavity. This sound can often be heard from outside of the body in cases of significant trauma.Sucking chest wounds are most commonly caused by gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and other penetrating injuries to the chest area. The initial injury causes a break in one or more layers of tissue which allows air into the pleural cavity. This air can cause pressure on vital organs such as the heart, lungs, and diaphragm which can lead to difficulty breathing and collapse of these organs if not treated quickly. The most important step in treating a sucking chest wound is creating an occlusive dressing over it. This helps prevent any further entry of air into the pleural cavity while ensuring adequate oxygen supply to other vital organs that may be affected by it. As soon as possible after applying this dressing, medical attention should be sought out in order to assess any additional damage that may have occurred due to trauma or lack of oxygen supply.