pnuemothorax

[SPLINTERS]

I am 26 years old and have just suffered what I was told was pnuemothorax, my lung collapsed while I was at work.  I have no understanding of what this is and was never told if there was a cause.  I can remember being short of breath since I was about 11 or 12 years of age but do not no if this has anything to do with it. I am sick of feeling like **** and having to concentrate to breathe, hopefully there is a reason??????

[National Jewish]

Collapse of the lung, also called pneumothorax, can occur spontaneously.  This is most likely to happen in a tall, thin person who is under 40 years old.  Since you have had a pneumothorax, you are more likely to have another pneumothorax than someone who has never had one.  Some people are likely to have a pneumothorax because they have blebs or "bubbles" on the surface of their lungs that are present from birth.  A cause cannot always be found, but it is possible to prevent another pneumothorax with thoracoscopic treatment.  Using a camera at the end of scope the pneumothorax is treated through small incisions in the chest.  The doctor is able to cause the lung surface to adhere to the chest wall surface, to keep the lung inflated.  A pulmonologist would be the type of specialist to identify if this treatment would be the best for you.

It is typical to experience shortness of breath while your lung is collapsed.  You need to check with your doctor to be sure that your difficulty breathing is not a sign that your lung is still collapsed.

[AndyRRT]

A pneumothorax is when air enters the "potential" space between the outside of the lung, and the inside of the chest wall. This space is called the pleural space. There's kind of a gentle suction in there that keeps the lung inflated. as the chest wall moves, so does the lung. If the pleura is inturrupted, the lung deflates.

Well, what causes this? Any type of trama to the chest. Stab wounds, surgery, car accidents, even CPR where ribs can be broken. Another type of pneumothorax is called a "spontaneous theumothorax". It is very common in tall lanky men. (The basketball players body if you will) All of a sudden, the lung kinda tears away from the pleura...and the lung is now collapsed. Its very painful, and you get very short of breath.

Treatment for a pneumothorax involves a chest tube. (not always however) Its an actual sterile tube that is poked through the outside of the chest, and is slipped into the pleural space. Then we apply suction to take out the air, and reinflate the lung. Once the wound heals, or the site where the pneumo' occurred.....we take the tube out and sew up the hole.

The healing process varies. After all is said and done, you may have some sensastion in your lung when you take a deep breath. Occasionally, some scarring may occur. This pain when you breath is called Pleurasy. That too will eventually go away.

-Andy, RRT, CPFT

[abdullah]

pneumothorax is either primary or secondary. in your case it's likely primary and called spntaneous as mentioned above. your risk is high to have another one (52% in the first year and 36% in the second year from the attack especially during airtravel)it's likely secondary to blebs on top of the lung tissue surface and just rupture (tall, slim, smoker, younger than 40 years old). for the first attack usually no surgical intevention needed unless you are a high risk worker like pilot, diver, otr with an underlying bad lung disease etc.., if you developed another attack then CAT scan of your chest will be done to aasess lung tissue then surgical oblitration of that potential space using diffirent methods will be done. some cases of pneumothorax as mentioned related to trauma, other like in womens can be related to menstural periods and called catamenial pneumothorax. the secondary form is related to undelying lung diseases like bad asthma, LAM disease, lung fibrosis from different causes which is not the case with you from your note.

for you it's likely spontaneous and u need to watch your self for now

[PnuemothoraxTimes3]

A related discussion, Ive Had Spontanious Pnuemothorax 3x was started.