Tension Pneumothorax
Tension Pneumothorax - Related Videos
01:26
Pneumothorax-I
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2024
A pneumothorax is a condition where air builds up in the space between the lung and the chest wall, causing the lung to collapse. This condition arises when air enters the space between the parietal and visceral pleura, disrupting the negative pressure essential for lung inflation. This can lead to a partial or complete collapse of the lung. Pneumothorax can be even further classified as spontaneous, traumatic, and tension pneumothorax. • Spontaneous pneumothorax is a collapsed lung that...
01:27
Pneumothorax-II
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2024
Pneumothorax is a medical condition defined by the buildup of air in the pleural space between the lungs and the chest wall. This accumulation of air can lead to partial or complete lung collapse, resulting in a range of clinical manifestations. Understanding the clinical presentation and effective management strategies is crucial for healthcare professionals in providing timely and appropriate care to individuals with pneumothorax. Clinical Manifestations: • Pneumothorax often presents with...
01:08
Pneumothorax II: Pathophysiology
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2026
Pneumothorax means the presence of air in the pleural space — the thin potential gap between the visceral and parietal pleura. This condition disrupts the normal pressure balance that keeps the lungs inflated, leading to partial or complete collapse of the affected lung.Normal physiologyUnder normal conditions, the pleural space maintains a slightly negative intrapleural pressure, which keeps the lungs expanded against the chest wall. This negative pressure creates a delicate balance between...
10:09
Tests of Hardened Concrete in Tension
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2023
Source: Roberto Leon, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA In a previous laboratory focused on concrete in compression, we observed that concrete can withstand very large stresses under uniaxial compressive forces. However, the failures observed were not compressive failures but failures along shear planes where maximum tensile forces occur. Thus, it is important to understand the behavior of concrete in tension and particularly its maximum strength...
01:10
Tension
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2025
Tension is a force along the length of a medium, in particular, a force carried by a flexible medium, such as a rope or cable. The word "tension" comes from Latin, meaning "to stretch". Not coincidentally, the flexible cords that carry muscle forces to other parts of the body are called tendons. Any flexible connector, such as a string, rope, chain, wire, or cable, can exert pull only parallel to its length; so, a force carried by a flexible connector is a tension with a direction parallel to...
FAQs
Each breath can add air to the pleural space while preventing its escape. As intrapleural pressure rises, the affected lung becomes increasingly compressed and the mediastinum shifts away from the involved side. This creates a progressive process rather than a stable loss of lung expansion, so respiratory and circulatory impairment can intensify rapidly.
Rising pressure does more than collapse the affected lung. Mediastinal shift compresses structures involved in blood flow back to the heart, reducing venous return. With less blood returning, cardiac filling and circulation decline, contributing to hypotension and potentially progressing to obstructive shock or cardiac arrest if pressure is not relieved.
Severe respiratory distress, hypotension, and diminished breath sounds are key warning findings. Their combination suggests that the problem is affecting both ventilation and circulation, not merely causing localized lung compression. In a deteriorating patient, these signs support urgent clinical recognition and treatment rather than waiting for cardiopulmonary function to worsen further.
The critical distinction is the continuing pressure increase created by the one-way valve effect. In Tension Pneumothorax, trapped air progressively compresses the lung, shifts the mediastinum, and reduces venous return. These added circulatory consequences make the condition immediately life-threatening and require rapid intervention to prevent obstructive shock or cardiac arrest.
Clinicians first relieve the trapped pressure with needle or catheter decompression when Tension Pneumothorax is suspected. This emergency step addresses the immediate mechanical problem by allowing accumulated pleural air to escape. Because the condition can impair both breathing and circulation, decompression is performed promptly on the basis of urgent clinical recognition.
Needle or catheter decompression provides immediate pressure relief, but chest-tube drainage follows to continue removing air from the pleural space. This sequence links emergency stabilization with ongoing drainage. The first intervention addresses the rapidly rising pressure, while the subsequent chest tube supports continued control of the pleural air collection.
Rapid decompression followed by chest-tube drainage can restore impaired cardiopulmonary function by relieving pressure on the collapsed lung and reducing the effects of mediastinal displacement. Timely treatment is intended to prevent progression to obstructive shock or cardiac arrest, making early recognition and intervention central to the clinical management of this emergency.