Where can you learn more? Top of the page. Your Care Instructions A collapsed lung pneumothorax is a buildup of air in the space between the lung and the chest wall. How can you care for yourself at home? Get plenty of rest and sleep. You may feel weak and tired for a while, but your energy level will improve with time. Hold a pillow against your chest when you cough or take deep breaths.
This will support your chest and decrease your pain. Take pain medicines exactly as directed. If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed. If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine. If your doctor prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed.
Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics. If you have a bandage over your chest tube, or the place where the chest tube was inserted, keep it clean and dry. Follow your doctor's instructions on bandage care. If you go home with a tube in place, follow the doctor's directions. Do not adjust the tube in any way. This could break the seal or cause other problems. Keep the tube dry. Avoid any movements that require your muscles, especially your chest muscles, to strain.
Such movements include laughing hard, bearing down to have a bowel movement, and heavy lifting. Try not to cough. Do not fly in an airplane until your doctor tells you it is okay.
A pneumothorax can be caused by a blunt or penetrating chest injury, certain medical procedures, or damage from underlying lung disease.
Or it may occur for no obvious reason. Symptoms usually include sudden chest pain and shortness of breath. On some occasions, a collapsed lung can be a life-threatening event. Treatment for a pneumothorax usually involves inserting a needle or chest tube between the ribs to remove the excess air. However, a small pneumothorax may heal on its own. The main symptoms of a pneumothorax are sudden chest pain and shortness of breath. Severity of symptoms may depend on how much of the lung is collapsed.
Symptoms of a pneumothorax can be caused by a variety of health problems, and some can be life-threatening, so seek medical attention. If your chest pain is severe or breathing becomes increasingly difficult, get immediate emergency care. 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:. Potential complications vary, depending on the size and severity of the pneumothorax as well as the cause and treatment.
Sometimes air may continue to leak if the opening in the lung won't close or pneumothorax may recur. Pneumothorax care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.
A chest x-ray can tell if you have it. Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Start Here. Diagnosis and Tests. Treatments and Therapies. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Living With. Related Issues. Clinical Trials.
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