Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes and CausesHow It FeelsTreatmentRecovery and AftercareComplicationsOutlook
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types and Causes
How It Feels
Treatment
Recovery and Aftercare
Complications
Outlook
A punctured lung (pneumothorax) is when air escapes the lung and fills the space between the lung and chest wall. This air buildup puts pressure on the lung, restricting its expansion and preventing someone from taking a full breath.
There are several variations of pneumothorax and all are referred to as a punctured or collapsed lung. Seeking immediate medical attention is important for receiving timely treatment and preventing complications. Read on to learn about the causes and treatments of punctured lung.
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What Is Pneumothorax?
Punctured Lung Types and Causes
The types of punctured lung are based on cause.
Punctured lung is when air leaks from the lung cavity into the chest cavity, creating pressure on the lung and leading to collapse. The medical term for collapsed lung is"atelectasis." Severity ranges from mild to life-threatening. Common causes include trauma or impact injury, chest injury, and medical procedures.
Spontaneous Pneumothorax (Primary and Secondary)
Spontaneous pneumothorax is any sudden onset of a punctured lung with unknown cause. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia says in most cases of spontaneous pneumothorax, a bleb (small area in the lungs filled with air ruptures) causes the leak.The tear can be small and resolve on its own or large and require surgery.
Traumatic Pneumothorax
Traumatic pneumothorax is any injury that causes a lung to collapse partially or fully. It most often affects one lung and is rarely dangerous unless there are comorbid (coexisting) chronic lung disorders, such asasthmaorCOPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or unless the underlying disease cause tension or open pneumothorax.
Open Pneumothorax
Also known as sucking chest wound, open pneumothorax is when air accumulates on the outside of the lung due to an unsealed opening in the chest wall or open chest wound.This variation too can be small or large, with larger wounds associated with greater difficulty in breathing and more severe lung collapse.
Tension Pneumothorax
Tension pneumothorax is when air continues to accumulate and increases pressure on the lung with each breath. This ever-rising pressure restricts blood from returning to the heart from elsewhere in the body. Tension pneumothorax can be quickly fatal.
What Does a Collapsed Lung Feel Like?
Larger leaks or lung ruptures cause more pain and other symptoms, including:
Shockcan sometimes follow in cases of open or tension pneumothorax.
What Is Inflammation of the Lungs?
How Is a Punctured Lung Treated?
Treatment options for a punctured lung vary depending on the severity of the trauma and the extent of lung damage. Small and stable punctures may resolve on their own or require some oxygen therapy and rest.
Other cases may require medical intervention involving a needle decompression treatment or chest tube insertion that allows air to escape from the outside lung area so the lung can more fully expand.
Can I Return Home After Collapsed Lung Procedure?Chest tube procedures may take several days and may require hospital admittance. People with smaller chest tubes may be able to return home the same day.
Can I Return Home After Collapsed Lung Procedure?
Chest tube procedures may take several days and may require hospital admittance. People with smaller chest tubes may be able to return home the same day.
Surgical procedures for punctured lung include minimally invasivethoracotomyand video-assistedthoracoscopicsurgery (VATS), for severe or recurrent cases. In VATS, a few small incisions or cuts are made so a camera-equipped tube can be inserted through the ribs and the entire chest cavity can be viewed without having to spread the ribs or surgically open the chest cavity.
Complications of Pneumonia
Recovery and aftercare depends on treatment. It may take a few weeks to gradually recover from lung surgery. Strength and functioning return gradually.
Anyone who has experienced a collapsed lung will need to monitor it to make sure it doesn’t happen again. A person with a collapsed lung will have to avoid driving or air travel and quit smoking to prevent future lung collapses.
Going to follow-up appointments and monitoring for complications is important to support healthy recovery and prevent risk of infection orserious health complications.
General recovery and aftercare tips:
How to Realistically Quit Smoking: 24+ Steps to Take Right Now
Lung Rehabilitation Exercises
Any physical exercise is good for your lung health. Lung rehabilitation exercises can strengthen the lung’s working capacity. You can trybreathing exercises like pursed-lip breathing, forming your mouth as you would when blowing out a candle. To do so, breathe in through your nose and exhale slowly (twice as long) through your mouth with pursed lips.
Other common breathing techniques to try are:
What to Know About Box Breathing
What Are the Complications From a Punctured Lung?
Possible complications from a punctured lung include:
Contact a healthcare provider if you have collapsed lung symptoms, especially if you previously have had a collapsed lung.
What Is Wet Lung?
What’s the Outlook for Someone With a Punctured Lung?
Your outlook may vary and depend on the cause of the punctured lung. People with spontaneous collapsed lung are more likely to have another one if they:
Understanding Dangerously Low Oxygen Levels
Summary
A punctured lung is when air escapes from the lung into the chest cavity, causing pressure to build up on the lung and leading to its eventual collapse. Air can escape due to traumatic injury or it can happen with no obvious cause. Some cases resolve on their own while others require surgical intervention.
Recovery and aftercare depend on treatment and cause but involve lung rehabilitation. Lifestyle modifications include quitting smoking if applicable. Complications include shock and recurring collapsed lung. Seeking an early diagnosis and getting the proper treatment are essential for preventing complications and reducing the risk of adverse outcomes.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Spontaneous pneumothoraxMerck Manual.Traumatic pneumothorax.Merck Manual.Open pneumothorax. April 2024.American Lung Association.Symptoms, diagnosis, and treating pneumothorax. April 10, 2024.American Lung Association.What is a collapsed lung?August 30, 2023.Penn Medicine.Collapsed lung (pneumothorax). January 2, 2023.American Lung Association.Video assisted thoracic surgery VATS. August 21, 2021.American Lung Association.Breathing exercises.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Spontaneous pneumothoraxMerck Manual.Traumatic pneumothorax.Merck Manual.Open pneumothorax. April 2024.American Lung Association.Symptoms, diagnosis, and treating pneumothorax. April 10, 2024.American Lung Association.What is a collapsed lung?August 30, 2023.Penn Medicine.Collapsed lung (pneumothorax). January 2, 2023.American Lung Association.Video assisted thoracic surgery VATS. August 21, 2021.American Lung Association.Breathing exercises.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Spontaneous pneumothoraxMerck Manual.Traumatic pneumothorax.Merck Manual.Open pneumothorax. April 2024.American Lung Association.Symptoms, diagnosis, and treating pneumothorax. April 10, 2024.American Lung Association.What is a collapsed lung?August 30, 2023.Penn Medicine.Collapsed lung (pneumothorax). January 2, 2023.American Lung Association.Video assisted thoracic surgery VATS. August 21, 2021.American Lung Association.Breathing exercises.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Spontaneous pneumothorax
Merck Manual.Traumatic pneumothorax.
Merck Manual.Open pneumothorax. April 2024.
American Lung Association.Symptoms, diagnosis, and treating pneumothorax. April 10, 2024.
American Lung Association.What is a collapsed lung?August 30, 2023.
Penn Medicine.Collapsed lung (pneumothorax). January 2, 2023.
American Lung Association.Video assisted thoracic surgery VATS. August 21, 2021.
American Lung Association.Breathing exercises.
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