Punctured Lungs Symptoms, Types, First Aid

It can be extremely dangerous to leave a punctured lung unhealed. If you had a punctured lung you may experience these symptoms. After taking a taking a deep breath or coughing you may experience chest pain. Your chest may begin to feel tight and sore. Your breathing may be abnormal and you may have a shortness of breath. Along with that you may have trouble with breathing. Your heart rate may begin to increase and you may feel fatigue.

There are three different types of punctured lungs like traumatic pneumothorax, primary spontaneous pneumothorax, and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. Traumatic pneumothorax is when a broken rib, bullet or stab wounds. There are also some medical procedures that fall under the category of traumatic pneumothorax if they collapse a lung. Primary spontaneous pneumothorax is not caused by any damage and is usually caused by a small break in a small air sac that causes air to leak into the areas around the lungs. Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax is caused by a pre-existing diseases like lung cancer, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and asthma.

There are different ways to cure a pneumothorax (punctured lung) depending on the size. A small rip can heal on its own. All that requires is rest and oxygen to recover fully. A doctor may also inject more air into your lungs to expand them. For large a pneumothorax they first deflant the lung through a tube that gets stuck through your ribs into your lungs. Then they inflate the lung with a tube that can be the same one they attached before. The tube actionably needs to be left in for severely days. Someone who has experience repeated pneumothorax might require surgery. Someone with a large may require surgery because the lung tissue may not be able to repair itself. Surgeon will like work through a tube that goes through your throat and into the bronchial airways. It usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks to recover fully, it depends on how big the pneumothorax and how it got treated.

Before it is fully healed there are a few guidelines you should follow to make sure that there are no more issues with pneumothorax. You may need to take any medications that your doctor would prescribe. You should stay active but still get lots of rest in an elevated position for the first few days. You should also wear loose clothes and avoid pressure on your rib cage. Avoid smoking, a sudden change in pressure, and driving. You may need to watch out for any recurrences. Do any breathing exercises your doctor gives to you and of course go to all of your doctor appoints to make sure everything is healing properly.