PNEUMOTHORAX CAUSES | SYMPTOMS | TREATMENTS
INTRODUCTION TO PNEUMOTHRAX
Pleural
cavity is a latent closed space, in which there is no
air The total gas pressure of capillaries is 706 mmHg, 54 mmHg less than atmosphere Pneumothrax is defined as air in the pleural space That
is, air between the lung and chest wall, or in other term, air between the visceral pleura and the parietal pleura
CAUSES OF PNEUMOTHRAX
Pneumothrax can be caused by a chest injury, Underlying
lung
disease
or
ruptured
air
blisters.
Pneumothrax also can occur for no obvious reason. Chest injuries : Any blunt or penetrating injury to your
chest can cause lung collapse, Some injuries may happen during physical assaults or car crashes, while others may inadvertently occur during certain medical procedure.
SYMPTOMS OF PNEUMOTHRAX The symptoms depend on the amount of air trapped outside the lung. The following list gives the common symptoms: Severe chest pain that gives a feeling of getting stabbed.
Patient may feel breathless or face shortness of breath. Skin colour becomes bluish, due to lack of oxygen. Low blood pressure Stress and anxiety Cough Fatigue
DIAGNOSIS OF PNEUMOTHRAX Acute pulmonary embolism May resent in identical fashion but without radiographic findings Acute pleural irritation from any cause Pneumonia, tumor, etc. (most have rediographic findings) Acute myocardial infarction Axis deviation, decrease QRS voltage, and T-wave inversion may occur due to mechanical desplacement of heart, increased intrathoracic air, acute RV overload, or hypoxia
TREATMENTS FOR PNEUMOTHRAX The purpose of treating a pneumothorax is to relieve the pressure on the lung, by removing the air and hence allowing it to re-expand, and to prevent recurrences. The best method fro achieving this depends on the severity of the lung collapse and on the patient's overall health Surgery is advises as the definitive management. In most cases, the surgery can be performed through small key hole incisions, using a tiny fiber optic camera and narrow, long handled surgical tools. This is known as Video Assisted Thoracic surgery/Thoracoscopic Surgery.
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