Collapsed Lung or Pneumothorax Treatment in Delhi and Gurgaon

Collapsed Lung or Pneumothorax Treatment in Delhi and Gurgaon, India, by the Best Chest Surgeon

A pneumothorax is a collection of air outside the lung but within the pleural cavity. It occurs when air accumulates between the parietal and visceral pleurae inside the chest. The air accumulation can apply pressure on the lung and make it collapse. The degree of collapse determines the clinical presentation of pneumothorax. Air can enter the pleural space by two mechanisms, either by trauma causing communication through the chest wall or from the lung by rupture of the visceral pleura. A pneumothorax can be a complete lung collapse or a collapse of only a portion of the lung.

Causes Of Pneumothorax

A pneumothorax can be caused by:

• Chest injury. 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 medical procedures that involve the insertion of a needle into the chest.
• Lung disease. Damaged lung tissue is more likely to collapse. Lung damage can be caused by many types of underlying diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, lung cancer or pneumonia. Cystic lung diseases, such as lymphangioleiomyomatosis and Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, cause round, thin-walled air sacs in the lung tissue that can rupture, resulting in pneumothorax.
• Ruptured air blisters. Small air blisters (blebs) can develop on the top of the lungs. These air blisters sometimes burst — allowing air to leak into the space that surrounds the lungs.
• Mechanical ventilation. A severe type of pneumothorax can occur in people who need mechanical assistance to breathe. The ventilator can create an imbalance of air pressure within the chest. The lung may collapse completely.

Risk Factors

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:

• Smoking. The risk increases with the length of time and the number of cigarettes smoked, even without emphysema.
• Genetics. Certain types of pneumothorax appear to run in families.
• Previous pneumothorax. Anyone who has had one pneumothorax is at increased risk of another.

Signs And Symptoms

Symptoms normally come on almost immediately and commonly begin with chest pain. Other signals that the problem may be a collapsed lung are:

• Sharp, stabbing chest pain that worsens when trying to breath in
• Shortness of breath
• Bluish skin caused by a lack of oxygen
• Fatigue
• Rapid breathing and heartbeat
• A dry, hacking cough

Treatment Of Pneumothorax

The treatment of pneumothorax depends on a number of factors, and may vary from discharge with early follow-up to immediate needle decompression or insertion of a chest tube. Treatment also depends on the physician that is going to handle the patient; pulmonary physicians usually perform medical thoracoscopy (minimally invasive) one port, while thoracic surgeons use a surgery suite and two ports. In some cases patient preference is requested.

Usually air escapes from the lung or gets sucked in through the chest wall and condition is called as Pneumothorax. Consult Dr. Harsh Vardhan Puri for collapsed lung or pneumothorax treatment in Delhi and Gurgaon, India.