A Patient Is Brought to the Emergency Department with a Gunshot

Multiple Choice

A patient is brought to the Emergency Department with a gunshot wound to the chest. The healthcare professional assesses an abnormality involving a pleural rupture that acts as a one-way valve, permitting air to enter on inspiration but preventing its escape by closing during expiration. What action by the healthcare professional is the priority?

A) Draw arterial blood gasses.
B) Assist with a chest tube insertion.
C) Give the patient low-flow oxygen.
D) Assess for clubbing of fingernails.