The chapter provides an overview of the challenges facing the emergency physician dealing with a poly-trauma patient and the discovery of an occult pnuemothorax.It examines the role of immediate FAST scanning in the emergency department and the vogue for the trauma CT pan scan.
It examines the evidence base for key clinical questions including the role of extended FAST scan to examine the chest cavity for pneumothoraces, and outlines the key radiological signs needed to be elicited on ultrasound. It then continues to explore the place for conservative versus interventional chest-drain management of those patients with asymptomatic pneumothoraces and the subsequent follow-up management required.