Author: Charles Nwankpa, Moinul Hassan / Editor: Jessie Lynch / Codes: / Published: 07/12/2023
A normally fit and well 18-year-old male presents to the Emergency Department (ED) at night complaining of chest pain, which has been intermittent throughout the day. He was at a party the previous night and inhaled some substance from a cannister.
His observations are as follows: RR 18 breaths/minute, heart rate 80 beats/minute, blood pressure 120/74mmHg, and oxygen saturations on air of 95%, with a normal ECG. On examination he has palpable crepitus on the anterior chest wall, and crunching breath sounds in the left hemithorax on auscultation. He has had imaging done – his chest x-ray is unremarkable, and his CT Thorax is shown below.
