Pneumothorax
The treatment for pneumothorax involves the relief of pressure on your lung and allowing it to re-expand. After this has been achieved the next goal might be to stop recurrences depending on the cause of the pneumothorax. The procedures in order to achieve these goals rely on how severe the lung collapse is and how healthy you are overall.
Observation
If you suffer from a small lung collapse then your doctor may just keep an eye on you condition and monitor it with a series of X-rays on your chest until the excess air is absorbed completely and your lung has re-expanded. It can take about a week or two for this to be completed. Your doctor might recommend oxygen supplement to speed up the process of absorption.
Medication
Your doctor might prescribe drugs in order to ease pain and make you more comfortable during the process of fixing your pneumothorax.
- Antibiotic — These drugs will be prescribed to you in order to treat and help prevent infections. Such medications might include flucloxacillin (Floxapen) and Amoxicillin (Amoxil) and more.
- Pain Medicine — After you have tried over-the-counter pain relief such as aspirin or ibuprofen and they do not work, your doctor might prescribe stronger medication to relieve the pain such as oxycodone, fentanyl and buprenorphine.
- Sedatives — these will help you to remain calm and relaxed during the procedures.
Needle or Chest Tube Insertion
If you suffer from a larger lung collapse then your doctor may recommend a needle or chest tube being used to remove the excess air. These are hollow needles or tubes and are put between the ribs and into the space that is pressing on your collapsed lung. If you have needle, the syringe will be attached so your doctor could pull out the excess air. The chest tube would be attached to a suction device that removes air from your chest cavity at a continuous rate.
Surgery
If these previous procedures do not seem to make any effect on your pneumothorax, then your doctor may suggest surgery in order to close the air leak. The surgery is performed through a number of small incisions with a small fiber-optic camera and long handed, narrow surgical tools. Once the leaking bleb is found, the surgeon with close it off. Occasionally, in order to seal any leaks, the surgeon might use a substance that irritates the tissues around the lung in order for them to stick together.
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