After a serious Atlanta car crash has left a person with difficulty breathing and pain in their chest, It is possible they have suffered a lung injury. A doctor can detect the injury just by listening to the lungs and heart, and visually checking the lips and nail beds for a bluish color. However, a lung injury isn’t always immediately apparent and may require further testing.
In those cases, a doctor will typically take a chest X-Ray or computed tomography (CT) scan to determine if the lung was punctured in the crash. Other tests a doctor may order include:
- Bronchoscopy to evaluate the lungs with a viewing tube
- Blood tests to determine if there is an infection
- Arterial blood gas test to reveal if there are levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
- Heart tests to rule out heart failure
- Sputum cultures to reveal the cause of the infection
- A needle or syringe inserted into the chest to remove excess air
- A chest tube inserted to allow the lung to expand
- A ventilator
- Bed rest and elevation of the bed
- Close monitoring
- Anti-inflammatory and antibiotic medications