Paradoxical breathing is seen in: (A) Pneumonia, (B) Pneumothorax, (C) Atelectasis, (D) Flial chest
Answer is D. Two of the symptoms of flail chest are chest pain and shoness of breath. It occurs when multiple adjacent ribs are broken in multiple places, separating a segment, so a pa of the chest wall moves independently. This so-called "paradoxical breathing" is painful and increases the work involved in breathing Ref Davidson 23rd edition pg 579