Pneumothorax should be registered under which department?

Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
Updated on September 14, 2024
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What department should you register for pneumothorax?

If pneumothorax occurs suddenly, the condition is generally severe with significant breathing difficulties. In such cases, we recommend prioritizing a visit to the emergency department. Once the emergency department receives the patient, they will immediately request a consultation with a thoracic surgeon or a respiratory specialist. If the patient requires surgery, such as thoracic closed drainage or other procedures, it is usually handled by a thoracic surgeon; if the patient only requires conservative treatment, they will likely be transferred to the respiratory department; if the patient's condition is critical, they might be admitted to the ICU.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
46sec home-news-image

Pneumothorax should be registered under which department?

What department should you register for pneumothorax? If pneumothorax occurs suddenly, the condition is generally severe with significant breathing difficulties. In such cases, we recommend prioritizing a visit to the emergency department. Once the emergency department receives the patient, they will immediately request a consultation with a thoracic surgeon or a respiratory specialist. If the patient requires surgery, such as thoracic closed drainage or other procedures, it is usually handled by a thoracic surgeon; if the patient only requires conservative treatment, they will likely be transferred to the respiratory department; if the patient's condition is critical, they might be admitted to the ICU.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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Spontaneous pneumothorax and the difference between pneumothorax.

Simply put, spontaneous pneumothorax is a type of pneumothorax. In the classification of pneumothorax, besides spontaneous pneumothorax, there are also traumatic pneumothorax and iatrogenic pneumothorax. Traumatic pneumothorax is caused by direct or indirect injury to the chest wall, while iatrogenic pneumothorax occurs during medical diagnosis and treatment. Spontaneous pneumothorax often involves underlying lung diseases, such as emphysema, lung bullae, tuberculosis, lung cancer, and pneumoconiosis. It can also occur in healthy individuals without obvious lung abnormalities, typically seen in tall, thin males of young to middle age.

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Written by Xia Bao Jun
Pulmonology
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How is pneumothorax treated?

The treatment of pneumothorax aims to promote the reexpansion of the affected lung and reduce recurrence, while considering the possibility of eliminating the cause of the disease. Treatment measures include non-surgical and surgical treatments. Non-surgical measures include observation, thoracic puncture for air evacuation, closed thoracic drainage, and pleural fixation. Surgical treatments include thoracoscopic surgery and open chest surgery. Choices should be made based on the type and frequency of occurrence of the pneumothorax, the degree of compression, the state of the condition, and the presence of complications, etc. Most patients can be cured through non-surgical treatment, while only a minority, approximately 10%-20% of patients, require surgical treatment.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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Can pneumothorax recover by itself?

Pneumothorax is caused by a rupture of the pleura, allowing air to enter the pleural space. Patients often display symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. A lung radiograph can confirm the presence of a pneumothorax. Whether a patient with pneumothorax can recover on their own depends on the size of the pneumothorax. If it is a large pneumothorax, especially a communicative or tension pneumothorax, self-recovery is not possible, and treatment generally involves pleural puncture or pleural drainage tube placement. However, if the amount of air in the pneumothorax is small and the patient does not exhibit severe symptoms, then it is possible for the condition to resolve itself with bed rest.

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Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
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Foods to avoid with pneumothorax

We know that the lung tissue of a normal person is like a balloon. When breathing, this balloon expands and contracts, and there are about hundreds of millions of small structures in the lungs like balloons, which we call alveolar tissue. This structure also continuously expands and contracts, expelling carbon dioxide and inhaling oxygen. For certain reasons, such as infection or due to the body shape of tall, thin young people, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchitis in elderly people, this alveolar structure can rupture, causing some alveoli to merge into a large bulla. Of course, if the large bulla eventually ruptures, the break in this balloon-like surface will leak air into the pleural cavity, causing a pneumothorax. As for the nutrition from food, we believe that patients should not refrain from certain foods, but should instead increase their intake of protein, such as eating three to four egg whites daily. If worried about high cholesterol, discard the yolk, consuming only one yolk per day, but ensuring adequate protein intake. Therefore, for patients with pneumothorax, it is not about avoiding certain foods, but about eating more of those foods to which they are not allergic, such as shrimp and beef, rather than restricting their diet.