A Simple Guide to Pneumothorax (Collapsed Lungs), Diagnosis, Treatment and Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Pneumothorax (Collapsed Lungs), Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

A collapsed lung (pneumothorax) happens when air escapes from the lung.

The air then fills the pleural space outside of the lung between the lung and chest wall.

This air pushes on the outside of the lung and makes it collapse.

This buildup of air places pressure on the lung, so it cannot expand as much as it normally does when the patient takes a breath.

A pneumothorax can be a total lung collapse or a collapse of only a section of the lung.

Causes

Chest injury

Collapsed lung (pneumothorax) can be produced by an injury to the lung.

Trauma or injuries to the chest can produce a gunshot or knife wound to the chest, rib fracture, or certain medical and surgical procedures.

Any blunt or penetrating injury to the chest can induce lung collapse.

Some injuries may happen during physical assaults or car accidents, while others may inadvertently happen during medical procedures that involve the insertion of a needle into the chest.

In some patients, a collapsed lung is produced by air blisters (blebs) that break open, allowing air to escape into the space around the lung.

This can happen from air pressure alterations when scuba diving or traveling to a high altitude.

Tall, thin people and smokers are normally more at risk for a collapsed lung.

Lung disease

Injured lung tissue is more likely to collapse.

Lung damage can be produced by many types of underlying diseases, such as:
1. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
2. Cystic fibrosis,
3. Lung cancer or
4. Pneumonia.

Cystic lung diseases, such as lymphangioleiomyomatosis and Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, produce round, thin-walled air sacs in the lung tissue that can burst, resulting in pneumothorax.

Lung diseases can also raise the chance of getting a collapsed lung.
1. Asthma
2. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
3. Cystic fibrosis
4. Tuberculosis
5. Whooping cough

Ruptured air blisters

Small air blisters (blebs) can form on the top of the lungs.

These air blisters occasionally rupture permitting air to leak into the space that surrounds the lungs.

Mechanical ventilation

A severe type of pneumothorax can happen in people who need mechanical assistance to breathe.

The ventilator can generate an imbalance of air pressure within the chest.

The lung may collapse totally.

In some cases, a collapsed lung happens without any cause (spontaneous).

The primary symptoms of a pneumothorax are:
1. Sudden onset of chest pain and
2. Shortness of breath.

If the patient has a collapsed lung, there are reduced breath sounds or no breath sounds on the affected side.

Tests that may be ordered are:
1. Arterial blood gases and other blood tests to assess oxygen levels

2. Chest x-ray to diagnose the pneumothorax

3. CT scan if other injuries or disorders are suspected

4. Ultrasound imaging also may be used to identify a pneumothorax.

5. Electrocardiogram (ECG)

The purpose in treating a pneumothorax is to relieve the pressure on the lung, permitting it to re-expand.

Depending on the cause of the pneumothorax, a second purpose may be to prevent recurrences.

The patient may be given supplemental oxygen therapy to speed air reabsorption and lung expansion.

Treatment methods may involve:
1. Observation,
2. Needle aspiration,
3. Chest tube insertion,
4. Non-surgical repair or
5. Surgery.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Pneumothorax
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Atelectasis
Chapter 8 Chest Pain
Epilogue

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Dec 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005480202

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

A

Simple

Guide

To

Pneumothorax

(Collapsed Lungs),

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2021 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Pneumothorax (Collapsed Lungs),

Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Pneumothorax (Collapsed Lungs),

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

My diagnosis and treatment capability has improved tremendously from my continued education.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Pneumothorax (Collapsed lung)

What is pneumothorax?

A collapsed lung (pneumothorax) happens when air escapes from the lung.

The air then fills the pleural space outside of the lung between the lung and chest wall.

This air pushes on the outside of the lung and makes it collapse.

This buildup of air places pressure on the lung, so it cannot expand as much as it normally does when the patient takes a breath.

The medical name of this disorder is pneumothorax.

A pneumothorax can be a total lung collapse or a collapse of only a section of the lung.

What are the causes of pneumothorax?

Causes

Chest injury

Collapsed lung (pneumothorax) can be produced by an injury to the lung.

Trauma or injuries to the chest can produce a gunshot or knife wound to the chest, rib fracture, or certain medical and surgical procedures.

Any blunt or penetrating injury to the chest can induce lung collapse.

Some injuries may happen during physical assaults or car accidents, while others may inadvertently happen during medical procedures that involve the insertion of a needle into the chest.

In some patients, a collapsed lung is produced by air blisters (blebs) that break open, allowing air to escape into the space around the lung.

This can happen from air pressure alterations when scuba diving or traveling to a high altitude.

Tall, thin people and smokers are normally more at risk for a collapsed lung.

Lung disease

Injured lung tissue is more likely to collapse.

Lung damage can be produced by many types of underlying diseases, such as:

1. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),

2. Cystic fibrosis,

3. Lung cancer or

4. Pneumonia.

Cystic lung diseases, such as lymphangioleiomyomatosis and Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, produce round, thin-walled air sacs in the lung tissue that can burst, resulting in pneumothorax.

Lung diseases can also raise the chance of getting a collapsed lung.

1. Asthma

2. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

3. Cystic fibrosis

4. Tuberculosis

5. Whooping cough

Ruptured air blisters

Small air blisters (blebs) can form on the top of the lungs.

These air blisters occasionally rupture permitting air to leak into the space that surrounds the lungs.

Mechanical ventilation

A severe type of pneumothorax can happen in people who need mechanical assistance to breathe.

The ventilator can generate an imbalance of air pressure within the chest.

The lung may collapse totally.

In some cases, a collapsed lung happens without any cause.

This is termed a spontaneous collapsed lung.

Risk factors

Generally, men are far more prone to have a pneumothorax than women.

The type of pneumothorax produced by ruptured air blisters is most likely to happen in people between 20 and 40 years old, particularly if the person is very tall and underweight.

Underlying lung disease or mechanical ventilation can be a reason or a risk factor for a pneumothorax.

Other risk factors are:

1. Smoking

The risk rises with the length of time and the number of cigarettes smoked, even without emphysema.

2. Genetics

Certain types of pneumothorax seem to run in families.

3. Previous pneumothorax

Anyone who has had one pneumothorax is at higher risk of another.

What are the symptoms of pneumothorax?

Symptoms

The primary symptoms of a pneumothorax are:

1. Sudden onset of chest pain and

2. Shortness of breath.

Severity of symptoms may be dependent on how much of the lung is collapsed.

Frequent symptoms of a collapsed lung are:

1. Sharp chest or shoulder pain, made worse by a deep breath or a cough

2. Shortness of breath

3. Nasal flaring (from shortness of breath)

A larger pneumothorax produces more severe symptoms, such as:

1. Bluish color of the skin due to lack of oxygen

2. Chest tightness

3. Lightheadedness and near fainting

4. Easy fatigue

5. Abnormal breathing patterns or increased effort of breathing

6. Rapid heart rate

7. Shock and collapse

How is pneumothorax diagnosed?

Diagnosis

The doctor will listen to the breathing with