Paramedic National Registry Practice

Where would you expect to hear hyper-resonance sounds in a patient with a stab wound to the back?

1. On the same side

2. On the opposite side

3. In the abdominal area

4. In the lower limbs

The correct answer is: On the opposite side

Hyper-resonance is a sound that is typically associated with an increase in air or gas within a body cavity, often indicating the presence of a pneumothorax or other pathological conditions. In the context of a stab wound to the back, if there has been an injury that allows air to escape into the pleural space, the area where you would most likely hear hyper-resonance is on the opposite side of the injury. This occurs because the air that has accumulated in the pleural space will lead to changes in sound as it alters the normal resonance of the lung fields. The affected side may have diminished breath sounds due to lung collapse, while the opposite side would produce a more hyper-resonant sound due to the accumulation of air. Therefore, it is logical to determine that hyper-resonance would be most pronounced on the side opposite the stab wound due to the pathological effects of air within the thoracic cavity. While hyper-resonance can also be evaluated in other areas, such as the abdominal area in cases of gas distention, it specifically applies here to the thorax and the mechanics of the respiratory system in response to the injury. The lower limbs are not involved with sounds that would indicate hyper-resonance in this