injuries and poisoning
Traumatic Pneumothorax
Treatment of Traumatic Pneumothorax
Usually removal of air from the pleural space The goal of treatment is to remove the air from the pleural space and allow the lung to reinflate. Usually, a tube ( Chest Tube Insertion or chest tube) is inserted into the chest between two ribs. The tube is attached to a suction device to remove the air and to allow the lung to reinflate. This procedure can be done using only a local anesthetic. However, if the amount of air is small and causes no symptoms, doctors may not remove the air at all, because a small Pneumothorax often goes away on its own. Or doctors may insert a small catheter (drain) to remove the air. Whatever the treatment, doctors typically keep the person in the hospital for observation to make sure the pneumothorax does not worsen. 