PNEUMOTHORAX

Course overview

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 PLEURA INSIDE THE CHEST. THE AIR ACCUMULATION CAN APPLY PRESSURE ON THE LUNG AND MAKE IT COLLAPSE. PNEUMOTHORACES CAN BE EVEN FURTHER CLASSIFIED AS SIMPLE, TENSION, OR OPEN. A SIMPLE PNEUMOTHORAX DOES NOT SHIFT THE MEDIASTINAL STRUCTURES, AS DOES A TENSION PNEUMOTHORAX. AN OPEN PNEUMOTHORAX ALSO IS KNOWN AS A "SUCKING" CHEST WOUND. THIS ACTIVITY EXAMINES WHEN THIS CONDITION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS AND HOW TO EVALUATE IT PROPERLY. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.