A collapsed lung is not only very painful, but also very difficult. It makes people short of breath and unable to do much. Moreover, the treatment takes up to a week and requires a person to be admitted to hospital. But a new therapy should ensure that a collapsed lung can be treated quickly and that the patient can go home to recover after just a day.
What is a collapsed lung?
A collapsed lung is a leak in a lung. The lung then shrinks and the chest cavity fills with air. The collapsed lung is also referred to as pneumothorax. A collapsed lung can also occur after an accident, for example if a rib is broken and punctures the lung. But he can also act spontaneously. And anyone who has had a collapsed lung once has a greater chance of having one again than someone who has never had a collapsed lung.
How is a collapsed lung treated?
A collapsed lung was and is often treated by placing a drainage tube in the patient’s chest. This tube sucks the air from the cavity, so that the lung can unfold again. The drainage system hangs on the wall of the room in which the patient is located and continuously sucks air away from between the lung and chest. In the container you can see that there is still air in the breast when the fluid bubbles in the container. But to see whether the lung is completely healthy again, lung photos must be taken constantly to see how much air is really gone. In Friesland, a number of pulmonologists have developed a small and digital chest drainage system. This system ensures that someone has to stay in hospital for a much shorter time and that the person in question gets back on his or her feet sooner. The device has a self-controlling mechanism and digital control so that the condition of the lung can be read.
Young men with long, slim bodies are more likely to develop a collapsed lung
Young men with long and slim bodies appear to develop much more collapsed lungs during sleep and during physical exertion than other groups.
How do you notice a collapsed lung?
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- A collapsed lung can cause stabbing pain
- Because the lung no longer helps regulate breathing, the patient becomes short of breath and short of breath
- Sometimes people don’t notice it much and walk around with it for a few days.
The risk of a second collapsed lung increases after a first collapsed lung
Anyone who has ever had a collapsed lung has a 30 to 35 percent chance of having a second one. Such a second collapsed lung is often treated by closing the hole during keyhole surgery and the lung and pleura are attached to each other. After such an operation, most lungs no longer collapse.
Other methods to treat a second collapsed lung
There are also hospitals that treat a second collapsed lung by applying talc to the lining of the lung through a tube. This causes irritation and causes the lung membranes to grow together again. However, the disadvantage of this talc treatment is that it is very painful for the patient.