JBL EMT Practice Exam

During your assessment of a patient with a chest injury, you note that only one side of his chest moves when he breathes. How should you describe his chest movement?

1. Bidirectional

2. Medial

3. Paradoxical

4. Unilateral

The correct answer is: Bidirectional

In this scenario, where only one side of the patient's chest moves when he breathes, the correct description of the chest movement would be bidirectional. Bidirectional chest movement implies that both sides of the chest should rise and fall evenly during normal breathing. In this case, since only one side is moving, it deviates from the expected bidirectional chest movement pattern. The term "bidirectional" accurately captures this discrepancy in chest movement observed during the assessment. Options B, C, and D are incorrect: - "Medial" refers to a direction closer to the midline of the body and is not the appropriate term to describe chest movement in the given situation. - "Paradoxical" chest movement typically refers to a situation where a portion of the chest moves inward during inhalation instead of outward and is not the appropriate term for this scenario. - "Unilateral" describes something that is happening only on one side, but it does not specifically capture the concept of expected bidirectional chest movement during normal breathing.