A client with shortness of breath has decreased to absent breath sounds on the right side, from the apex to the base. Which of the following conditions would best explain this?
A. Acute asthma
B. Chronic bronchitis
C. Pneumonia
D. Spontaneous pneumothorax
Correct Answer: D. Spontaneous pneumothorax
A spontaneous pneumothorax occurs when the client’s lung collapses, causing an acute decrease in the amount of functional lung used in oxygenation. The sudden collapse was the cause of his chest pain and shortness of breath.
Option A: An asthma attack would show wheezing breath sounds.
Option B: Bronchitis would have rhonchi.
Option C: Pneumonia would have bronchial breath sounds over the area of consolidation.