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Pneumothorax
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A pneumothorax is air where there should not be any: in the pleural space. The pleura is two layers, one against the lung, the visceral, and one against the chest wall, the parietal. When air or gas gets in there, that space opens up.
And a lung needs that space sealed in order to work, like a vacuum pack: as long as no air gets in, the bag hugs whatever is inside; the moment air gets in, it goes slack. With air built up around it, the lung may not expand the way it should, and then ventilation, the movement of air, and oxygenation, the entry of oxygen into the blood, both deteriorate. The air got in outside the lung, in the pleural space, and from there it keeps the lung from expanding.
There is one form that stands apart: tension pneumothorax. There the air gets trapped and builds up under pressure, pushes on the mediastinum, the central part of the chest where the heart and the great vessels sit, and destabilizes the circulation.
In brief
A pneumothorax is air or gas in the pleural space, between the visceral and parietal pleura.
The air that builds up there can disrupt normal expansion of the lung and impair ventilation and oxygenation.
The air got in outside the lung, in the pleural space, and from there it keeps the lung from expanding.
In a tension pneumothorax the trapped air builds up under pressure, shifts the mediastinum and destabilizes the circulation.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAcute Pneumothorax Evaluation and Treatment, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated