Health A-Z

Medical Content Created by the Faculty of the
Harvard Medical School

Pneumothorax

Treatment

A collapsed lung can be treated in several different ways. Your doctor will choose the right treatment based on several factors, including the size and location of the collapsed lung and your medical condition.

Treatment options include:

• Careful observation by a doctor to see if the condition corrects itself on its own

• Removal of the air from the pleural cavity with a needle and syringe

• Removal of the air from the pleural cavity by inserting a hollow plastic tube, called a chest tube, between the ribs and attaching it to a suction device

If you need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment, you will likely receive oxygen by nasal prongs or a mask for the first couple days.

You may be treated or observed for several days to make sure the collapsed lung re-expands completely. If you have had a serious chest injury or treatment does not expand your lung, your doctor will discuss the possibility of surgery to repair the lung and pleura. Sometimes damaged or scarred portions of lung are removed to allow the collapsed lung to heal. Traditional surgery requires the chest to be opened. But newer techniques using tiny cameras (thoracoscopy) cause less scarring and result in faster recovery times.

People with who keep developing a collapsed lung may need treatment to prevent it from happening again. Options include:

• Surgery that removes blebs or areas of scarring or attaches the lung permanently to the chest wall

• A chemical injection that fuses the lung and chest wall together (pleurodesis)