Red flags in dyspneaDownloads

A 19-year-old man comes to the emergency department with sharp, left-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. He has no history of recent trauma. He does not smoke or use illicit drugs. He is 196 cm (6 feet 5 in) tall and weighs 70 kg (154 lb); BMI is 18 kg/m2. Examination shows reduced breath sounds over the left lung field. An x-ray of the chest is shown. Which of the following changes is most likely to immediately result from this patient's current condition?

A 36-year-old man presents to the physician with difficulty in breathing for 3 hours. There is no history of chest pain, cough or palpitation. He is a chronic smoker and underwent elective cholecystectomy one month back. There is no history of chronic or recurrent cough, wheezing or breathlessness. His temperature is 38.2°C (100.8°F), pulse is 108/min, blood pressure is 124/80 mm Hg, and respirations are 25/min. His arterial oxygen saturation is 98% in room air as shown by pulse oximetry. After a detailed physical examination, the physician orders a plasma D-dimer level, which was elevated. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the chest shows a filling defect in a segmental pulmonary artery on the left side. Which of the following signs is most likely to have been observed by the physician during the physical examination of this patient’s chest?