pulmonary disorders
Pneumothorax
Prevention of Pneumothorax
Recurrence rates in large studies ranged from 19% to 29% at 1 year after initial primary spontaneous pneumothorax ( Prevention references ), but higher in cases of secondary pneumothorax. The best preventive procedure is Thoracoscopy and Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) in which blebs are stapled and pleurodesis is done with pleural abrasion, parietal pleurectomy, or These procedures are recommended in primary pneumothorax after a second occurrence, in some cases after a first episode (eg, tension pneumothorax, at-risk profession [eg, pilots, diving]), in secondary pneumothorax, or when initial treatment fails to resolve the pneumothorax with ongoing air leak. Recurrence after these procedures is reduced ( Prevention references ). If thoracoscopy cannot be done or is contraindicated, chemical 1.Hallifax RJ, Goldacre R, Landray MJ, Rahman NM, Goldacre MJ. Trends in the Incidence and Recurrence of Inpatient-Treated Spontaneous Pneumothorax, 1968-2016.JAMA2018;320(14):1471-1480. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14299 2.Walker SP, Bibby AC, Halford P, Stadon L, White P, Maskell NA. Recurrence rates in primary spontaneous pneumothorax: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Eur Respir J2018;52(3):1800864. Published 2018 Sep 6. doi:10.1183/13993003.00864-2018 3.Lin Z, Zhang Z, Wang Q, Li J, Peng W, Ge G. A systematic review and meta-analysis of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery treating spontaneous pneumothorax.J Thorac Dis2021;13(5):3093-3104. doi:10.21037/jtd-21-652 