Abnormal pattern of respiration Flail chest 2025-08-10T06:44:23Z Flail chest is a physical exam finding that can be present in the setting of chest wall trauma or injury. When multiple adjacent ribs are fractured in 2 or more places, this can create a focal "free-floating" segment of the chest wall that moves independently from the rest of the chest. The only other entities on the differential for this are pathologic rib fractures (as opposed to trauma) and iatrogenic (post chest surgery), so the differential isn't particularly broad.