Spontaneous Pneumothorax
Lacey Shelton
Professional Role Development
Middle TN State University
Spontaneous Pneumothorax 2
Kevin is a healthy nonsmoking 18 year old male who was 6 '2" and weighed about 145 pounds. On May 16th, 2001 he was sitting in his high school chemistry class when he started getting hot and sweaty. He got up and went to the water fountain when he started noticing right arm pain. When he returned to the class room the teacher told him he looked green. The pain he was having in his right arm was spreading to his whole right upper side of his body. He said it felt like a bad muscle cramp. His teacher made him go to the school office where they called EMS and brought him to the hospital. On the ride to the hospital an IV was started along with 2L of O2 per NC. Kevin also said he was starting to get short of breath. Once in the ER Kevin had a chest x-ray that showed a 25% pneumothorax of his right upper and middle lobes. A Chest tube was placed and Kevin was admitted. Kevin stayed in the hospital for 5 days, with his chest tube in place for 4 of those days. He had a chest x-ray done every morning. Kevin was also on 2L O2 per NC as needed. An incentive spirometer was given to him on his last day in the hospital. Kevin has never had his pneumothorax reoccur. What Kevin had was a spontaneous pneumothorax. A spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) usually occurs for no know reason, most commonly in young tall skinny males that smoke. There are three types of spontaneous pneumothorax, primary, secondary, and catamenial. Kevin had a primary SP. The signs and symptoms of a SP are pretty recognizable but can be the same as other types of pneumothorax. SP 's are not usually life threatening if treated quickly and the treatment is usually routine. Spontaneous Pneumothorax 3
According to Porth, a SP occurs when an air filled bleb on the lung ruptures. This allows atmospheric air from the airways to
References: Porth, C. M. (2004). Disorders of ventilation and gas exchange. Pathophysiology concepts of altered health states, seventh edition (pp. 691-693). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Merck Manual. Pneumothorax. The Merck Manual second home edition, Chapter 52. Retrieved April 18th,2005 from http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec04/ch052d.html. Marx (2002). Spontaneous Pneumothorax. Rosen 's Emergency medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice, 5th ed (pp. 1000-1005). Retrieved April 18th, 2005 from http://home.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/0/999/548.html?printing=true. MD Consult (2004). Case of the week November 10th, 2004. Retrieved April 18th, 2005 from http://home.mdconsult.com/das/news/body/1/cow/359298961/150044/1.html?ni =150044. The Spontaneous Pneumothorax Patient Network (TSPPN) (2004). All about SP. Retrieved April 18th, 2005 from http://www.blebdisease.com/sp/kb.php?mode=article&k=10.