Saturday, July 30, 2011

Broken Ribs: always assume a punctured lung

If someone has broken ribs, always assume they have a puntured lung(Pneumo-thorax) or blood seeping into the lung (Hemo-Thorax). Low oxygen saturation levels with tip you off with either condition. Anything below 90% is NOT normal and you should assume the worst, especially if the blood O2 level is in the 70-80s. Get help fast. Many people turn blue or a darker than normal gray shade in their faces and skin. Their skin is turning blue because it is grey/blue when your body is low on Oxygen/O2. Go to the Emergency Room right away. I had an old girlfriend that turned very blue (life threatening) from a really bad cough in the winter and turned a weird blue color in her face. Sure enough the doctors did emergency surgery to re-inflate her lung after 5 minutes of examination. Pneumo-thorax /Punctured lung can turn life threatening fast....get help, dont mess around.

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