We then place a chest tube between your ribs to your lung to help you recover. People with a small pneumothorax might not have any symptoms. They might find out that they have it when they have a chest X-ray for another reason. Your doctor or nurse will ask about your symptoms, do an exam, and do a chest x-ray.
He or she might also do a CT scan. A CT scan is an imaging test. It creates pictures of the inside of your body to better check your lungs and surrounding organs. Your treatment will depend on your symptoms and how small or large the pocket of air outside your lungs are. During thoracoscopy, the doctor will give you medicine to make you sleep. Then he or she will make 2 or 3 small cuts between the ribs in your chest.
He or she will put long, thin tools in these openings and into the space where the air collected. One of the tools has a camera on the end, which sends pictures to a TV screen. The doctor can look at the image on the screen to do the surgery.
If you need surgery to treat your condition, your doctor might do another procedure at the same time. These two procedures can help prevent a future pneumothorax. After surgery you will have a chest tube placed. It will stay in for several days to a week, depending on your healing process.
To ensure we placed your tube in the most optimal location for your lung, we will give you x-rays and an examination. You will need to stay in the hospital while the chest tube is in place. On some occasions, a collapsed lung can be a life-threatening event. Treatment for a pneumothorax usually involves inserting a needle or chest tube between the ribs to remove the excess air. However, a small pneumothorax may heal on its own. The main symptoms of a pneumothorax are sudden chest pain and shortness of breath.
Severity of symptoms may depend on how much of the lung is collapsed. Symptoms of a pneumothorax can be caused by a variety of health problems, and some can be life-threatening, so seek medical attention.
If your chest pain is severe or breathing becomes increasingly difficult, get immediate emergency care. In general, men are far more likely to have a pneumothorax than women are. The type of pneumothorax caused by ruptured air blisters is most likely to occur in people between 20 and 40 years old, especially if the person is very tall and underweight.
Underlying lung disease or mechanical ventilation can be a cause or a risk factor for a pneumothorax. Other risk factors include:.
Potential complications vary, depending on the size and severity of the pneumothorax as well as the cause and treatment.
Sometimes air may continue to leak if the opening in the lung won't close or pneumothorax may recur. Pneumothorax care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.
This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Collapsed and normal lung Open pop-up dialog box Close. Collapsed and normal lung In a collapsed lung, air from the lung leaks into the chest cavity. The options will depend on:. If you have tension pneumothorax or pneumothorax due to an injury, this is a life-threatening emergency. If pneumothorax results from a small injury, it may heal without treatment within a few days. Check with a doctor before flying or diving after pneumothorax.
Using oxygen can also help speed up the rate at which the lungs reabsorb air from the cavity. If the damage is significant or symptoms are severe, a surgeon may need to remove the air or carry out surgery. Needle aspiration and chest tube insertion are two procedures designed to remove excess air from the pleural space in the chest. These can be done at the bedside without requiring general anesthesia. In needle aspiration, the doctor inserts a needle into the cavity and extracts the air using a syringe.
For a chest tube insertion, the doctor will insert a hollowed tube between your ribs. This allows air to drain and the lung to reinflate. The tube may remain in place for 2 to 5 days or longer. During a thoracotomy, your surgeon will create an incision in the pleural space to help them see the problem. During a thoracoscopy, also known as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery VATS , the doctor inserts a tiny camera through the chest wall to examine the lung.
The doctor may also carry out pleurodesis, in which they stick the lung to the inside of the chest wall. In many cases, a person with pneumothorax will need emergency medical treatment, and emergency doctors will carry out the evaluation and diagnosis.
Your long-term outlook depends on the size of the pneumothorax, the cause, and any treatment you receive. Most cases of primary spontaneous pneumothorax resolve with observation or minimal treatment. The risk of this type recurring within 5 years is around 43 percent , and the risk increases each time it happens. Knowing your risk of developing pneumothorax and seeking help as soon as symptoms occur can help prevent severe complications.
Pneumothorax is a condition where air collects between the lungs and the chest cavity. In others, it can be life-threatening. This will depend on the size and cause of the problem. There are different types of pneumothorax.
Traumatic pneumothorax can happen if someone has an injury to the chest wall or lungs. Nontraumatic pneumothorax can affect people with COPD and other lung diseases, but it can also affect people without lung disease. Treatment aims to remove the air and re-expand the lungs. In some cases, a surgeon may need to repair the lungs.
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