A pneumothorax is the presence of air in the pleural cavity. The pleura is the membrane that covers the outer surface of the lung (visceral pleura) and lines the inside of the chest (parietal pleura). In the pleural cavity, that is, between the chest wall and the lung of a healthy person, there is only a small amount of fluid, which makes it easier for the lung to move relative to the chest during respiratory movements. If there is damage to the lung or the chest wall, air flows into the pleural cavity. Its pressure prevents the lung from filling properly with air. If the pneumothorax is severe, i.e. there is a lot of air in the pleural cavity, the lung on that side hardly stops functioning.
An emphysema can be spontaneous, that is, for no apparent reason. This is especially true for young, thin people or patients with certain lung diseases and who smoke. Pneumothorax can also be the result of a chest trauma (e.g. in a car accident) or a complication of medical procedures, e.g. a lung biopsy performed duringbronchoscopy.
In this article, Niketrainers.com.co will tell you:
How common is pneumothorax?
Pneumothorax can occur at any age, and is four times more common in men than in women. About half of all pneumothorax cases are spontaneous.
What are the symptoms of pneumothorax?
The main symptoms of pneumothorax are pneumothorax pain,shortnessof breath, andcoughing. Pain is not always associated with a measles and its severity may vary. Some patients do not have any symptoms of pneumothorax.
How does a doctor make a diagnosis of pneumothorax?
First, the doctor collects an interview and examines the patient, with particular emphasis on chest examinations (percussion, auscultation). Usually, on this basis, the doctor suspects pneumothorax, and in order to confirm it, he sends the patient toa chest X-ray.
Dig.Pleural ultrasound in a healthy person (A) and in a patient with pneumothorax (B). The comet tail symptom (an artifact formed on the border of correctly adjacent pleural plaques) allows for the exclusion of pneumothorax.
What are the treatments for pneumothorax?
If the pneumothorax is very mild, it does not require treatment.Sometimes the doctor gives the patient oxygen to accelerate the absorption of air from the pleural cavity. If the pneumothorax is severe, the doctor may try to expel the air with a cannula needle, which is inserted into the pleura, puncturing the chest wall. It is not always possible and effective.
The most common method of treating pneumothorax is pleural drainage– inserting a tube with a diameter of about 0.5-1 cm into the pleura through the chest wall (pleural drainage). The tube is then connected to the so-called a water valve, a system of communicating vessels that allows air to escape from the pleural cavity, but not from there back, and usually into the suction system. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia. The pleural drain usually lasts for several days. During this time, the patient is given painkillers.