Pneumothorax

Question 1

what is a pneumothorax?

Answer 1

air in the pleural space.

Question 2

what are possible causes of pneumothorax?

Answer 2

can be spontaneous or as a result of trauma to the chest or iatrogenic

Question 3

who is spontaneous pneumothorax most common in?

Answer 3

young males.

Question 4

what is spontaneous pneumothorax thought to be caused by?

Answer 4

rupture of a pleural bleb, usually apical, thought to be due to congenital defects in connective tissue of the alveolar walls.

Question 5

what do patients with spontaneous pneumothorax often look like?

Answer 5

thin and tall

Question 6

what are the usual presenting features of pneumothorax?

Answer 6

sudden onset of unilateral pleuritic pain or progressively increasing breathlessness. if pneumothorax enlarges, patient may become more breathless and tachycardic and may develop pallor.

Question 7

what is the difference between primary and secondary pneumothorax?

Answer 7

primary - no underlying lung disease

secondary - underlying lung disease

Question 8

why does the lung not reinflate during a pneumothorax?

Answer 8

there is an increase in intrapleural pressure so loss of negative intrapleural pressure.

Question 9

why does it lead to lung collapse?

Answer 9

due to abolishment of the transmural pressure gradient

Question 10

what are the physical signs?

Answer 10

hyper-resonant percussion note and decreased/absent breath sounds