Dr. Maame Yaa Yiadom: Today's case is that of a 53-year-old man brought in by Emergency Medical Services
after being thrown off his horse while riding at low speed. He was thrown backwards
and to the left, landing initially on the left side of his upper back and then on
his lower back and buttocks. He was wearing a helmet, denied head trauma or loss of
consciousness, and did not stand or sit up after landing on the ground. Paramedics
were on scene within 15 min. At that time he complained of left-sided flank and chest
pain that was worse with moving, and feeling “as if someone was holding his breath.”
Paramedics reported that his oxygen saturation decreased from 99% to 96% on room air
en route, but increased to 100% with application of 2 L oxygen delivered via nasal
cannula.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 04, 2008
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
