The client is admitted to the emergency department with chest trauma. What signs/symptoms indicate to the nurse the diagnosis of pneumothorax?

A. Barrel chest and polycythemia: These findings are more characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially emphysema. They reflect long-term adaptations to hypoxia and air trapping, not the acute onset seen in pneumothorax. B. Bronchovesicular lung sounds and bradypnea: Bronchovesicular sounds are normal in some lung areas, and bradypnea is not a common feature of pneumothorax. Pneumothorax often presents with decreased or absent breath sounds on the affected side and increased respiratory rate due to hypoxia. C. Unequal lung expansion and dyspnea: Unequal chest expansion occurs because the collapsed lung on the affected side does not inflate properly. Dyspnea results from impaired gas exchange, making this the most accurate sign combination of pneumothorax. D. Frothy bloody sputum and consolidation: These findings suggest pulmonary edema or pneumonia rather than pneumothorax. Frothy sputum is often seen in left-sided heart failure, and lung consolidation is not a feature of air in the pleural space.