A 24-year-old man is brought into the emergency depament after a fall from a ladder. His breathing is labored and he is cyanotic. No breath sounds can be heard, even in the right lung field, which is resonant to percussion. The first step in his management should be
This patient has a tension pneumothorax and immediate management by right tube thoracostomy is imperative. This diagnosis is a clinical one and treatment should not await x-ray confirmation.
Cricothyroidotomy
Obtaining a stat chest x-ray
Passing an oral endotracheal tube
Tube thoracostomy