Pneumothorax under positive pressure
Educational use only. Not clinically reviewed63-year-old woman for Open right hemicolectomy. About 8 simulated minutes.
What you will practise
- Check bilateral ventilation when airway pressure, oxygenation, and circulation deteriorate together.
- Call for help when the combined breathing and circulation pattern appears.
- Deliver 100% oxygen while the cause is addressed.
- Record immediate left-chest decompression intent for severe tension physiology.
- Reassess oxygenation and pressure after accepted decompression intent.
Review and sources
Not clinically reviewed. No clinician has signed this scenario.
- Association of Anaesthetists. Quick Reference Handbook, June 2023: 2-2 Hypoxia/desaturation/cyanosis, 2-3 Increased airway pressure, and 2-4 Hypotension.
- Resuscitation Council UK. Special circumstances guidelines. October 27, 2025: tension pneumothorax.
- European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2025: Special Circumstances in Resuscitation. Resuscitation. 2025;215(Suppl 1):110753.
Open Sim Lab is an educational simulator, not for clinical use. It is not a clinical decision-support tool, not a dosing calculator, and is not validated for any decision affecting a real patient.