SEARCH · PubMed Health
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Report on the pathological--anatomical findings on 4 persons, having died suddenly with a spontaneous pneumothorax. The relative frequency of cases and the clinical picture of the illness, stress the importance of this not unusual, but only by post-mortem examination verifyable, cause of death.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors predisposing to the misdiagnosis of pneumothorax in the ICU. DESIGN: A prospective case series investigation. SETTING: A medical ICU service of a military referral hospital. PATIENTS: All adult medical ICU patients were evaluated during a 12-month period. Of 464 admissions, 28 (6%) were found to have acquired a pneumothorax during their medical ICU stay. INTERVENTIONS: Nineteen (67.9%) patients with pneumothorax were diagnosed correctly on initial presentation of their pneumothorax. The remaining nine (32.1%) patients' pneumothoraces were misdiagnosed at initial presentation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Tension pneumothorax occurred more frequently in patients with an initially misdiagnosed pneumothorax (33.3%) than in patients with pneumothoraces that were correctly diagnosed during their medical ICU stay (5.3%) (p less than .06). Thirteen variables chosen prospectively were examined using a chi-square statistic. The following four variables occurred statistically more often in nine patients with an initially misdiagnosed pneumothorax: a) mechanical ventilation required at the time of the development of pneumothorax (p less than .05); b) an atypical radiographic location of the pneumothorax (p less than .05); c) altered mental status exhibited at the time of pneumothorax presentation (p less than .05); and d) development of pneumothorax after peak physician staffing hours (p less than .02). CONCLUSIONS: Certain medical ICU patients appear to be at higher risk for the initial misdiagnosis of pneumothorax. Familiarity with factors predisposing to this problem should allow for a higher index of suspicion for the diagnosis of pneumothorax in critically ill patients and possibly improve the early detection of pneumothorax.
OBJECTIVE: Analysis of risk factors and consequences of a pneumothorax in ventilated preterm neonates with hyaline membrane disease (HMD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 88 neonates with HMD (gestational age 29.7 +/- 2.5 weeks, birth weight 1370 +/- 510 gram) clinical parameters as grade of HMD, ventilator settings, the administration of sedative and/or paralysing drugs, and the occurrence of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) had been studied retrospectively to assess possible risk factors for a pneumothorax. The effects of a pneumothorax on neuromotor development and the occurrence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were also studied. Newborns with signs of infection were excluded. RESULTS: A pneumothorax occurred in 25 of the 88 (28%) ventilated infants with HMD. The other 63 newborns formed the control group. The grade of HMD was similar for both groups. The ventilator settings (max. frequency, max. inspiratory pressure and max. inspiratory time) before the occurrence of a pneumothorax or up to the third day of life were not significantly different between the groups. Interstitial emphysema occurred more often in the pneumothorax group (32% re 2%, P < 0.01). Eleven of the 25 (44%) with a pneumothorax died compared to 8 of the 63 (13%) infants without a pneumothorax (p < 0.05). Neuro-development differed not significantly between both groups. BPD was seen more frequently after pneumothorax than in the control group 79% re 47% (p < 0.05, Chi2-test). CONCLUSIONS: A pneumothorax results in an increased mortality and incidence of BPD. Interstitial emphysema occurred more often in the pneumothorax group. None of the other variables studies could be assigned as a risk factor for a pneumothorax.
There were 34 episodes of pneumothorax out of 400 episodes of COPD (i.e. 8.5% of the total) among patients who were admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital during the period 1982 to 1986; the episodes of pneumothorax occurred among 22 males and one female, with the average age on admission being 64.0 +/- 8.5 years. All patients had a long history of smoking (average 40 years) with a history of recurrent pneumothorax (47.8%) and two episodes of pneumothorax per patient. Since only about one third of our patients had chest pain or positive signs of pneumothorax on physical examination, the possibility of pneumothorax should be considered in every patient who develops sudden and increasing shortness of breath, especially during mechanical ventilation, or even in association with other obvious precipitating factors, e.g. URI. With regard to complications, there were eight, four, two, two and five episodes of severe respiratory failure requiring assisted ventilation, tension pneumothorax, bilateral simultaneous pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema, and plural effusion, respectively. The death rate was 23.5 per cent. Patients who had a pneumothorax requiring assisted ventilation or who developed a pneumothorax during assisted ventilation had a grave prognosis because of multiple complications from mechanical ventilation. Two episodes with minimal pneumothoraxes achieved re-expansion after conservative treatment. The treatment required 3.3 days for the lung to fully expand, 9.6 days when the air-leak stopped and the duration of tube drainage was 10.8 days. Our study indicates that the longer the duration of lung collapse the longer the time required for re-expansion of the lung.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Eighteen lung cancer patients with a pneumothorax complication were studied. Pneumothorax appears rarely in lung cancer patients, having been found in 18 out of 5567 (0.32%) at our hospital over a period of ten years. Of the 18 patients, eight had adenocarcinoma, seven epidermoid carcinoma and three alveolar cell carcinoma. Unlike those of previous reports, our results showed pneumothorax not to be found exclusively on the same side as the lung cancer. It was contralateral in five cases. Pneumothorax was the initial manifestation of lung cancer in three cases and occurred as a complication in another 15. Of these 15 patients, 11 were described as developing pneumothorax between one and twelve months after completion of radiation therapy for lung cancer. Another two patients developed pneumothorax following cytotoxic chemotherapy. Pneumothorax occurred prior to any treatment for lung cancer in the remaining two patients. The factors contributing to pneumothorax in the lung cancer patients were the rupture of the necrotic neoplastic tissue into the pleural cavity, the rupture of a subpleural bleb or the formation of interstitial air due to partial bronchial obstruction by the tumor, complications arising from radiation therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy, or any combination of such factors. Pneumothorax was an ominous sign for the lung cancer patients. Most (12/14) died within six months of the onset of pneumothorax.
We determined the incidence of pneumothorax in 295 infants (mean birthweight, 1,917 gm) with the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) treated according to the same protocol. Fifty-five infants (mean birthweight, 1,594 gm) developed pneumothorax (incidence, 19%); incidence varied with severity of RDS and intensity of respiratory assistance. Pneumothorax occurred in 3.5% (2 of 58) of infants who received no assisted ventilation and in 11% (14 of 124) of infants who received continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as the only form of assisted ventilation; the difference between these two groups is not significant. Forty-nine infants initially treated with CPAP later required mechanical ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). Pneumothorax occurred in 12 of the 49 (24%) and in 21 of 64 (33%) of those infants initially treated with PEEP; the incidence of pneumothorax for both these groups was significantly higher than for those treated with no assisted ventilation or CPAP only. To assess the value of frequent measurement of vital signs, blood gas tensions, and pH in the recognition of pneumothorax, we analyzed these variables by the cumulative sum statistical technique. We noted the following significant changes associated with pneumothorax: arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate decreased in 77% of cases; pulse pressure narrowed in 51% of cases; Po2 decreased in 17 of 20 cases in which ventilatory settings were constant for at least three hours prior to pneumothorax. However, pH and Pco2 showed consistent changes. Frequent measurements of vital signs and Po2 aid in the early diagnosis of pneumothorax.
The clinical course of pneumothorax and its allied conditions was studied in 34 newborn infants who presented over a 2 1/2-year period. We found an overall incidence of 3/1000 live births. 11 term infants without obvious pulmonary pathology presented early (9 within minutes of birth); 6 of these had aspirated meconium or blood. The remaining 23 were preterm infants with hyaline membrane disease (HMD) and accounted for 68% of the infants in this series. In contrast, they presented late (mean 45 hours) and 16 were on continuous distending pressure (CDP) or intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) at the onset of pneumothorax. 15% of all infants with HMD who required CDP/IPPV developed pneumothorax; this increased incidence was most evident in infants who received CDP only. All except 2 of the 11 term infants in the first group were managed conservatively and all survived. Wehn pneumothorax occurred as a complication of HMD in preterm infants, 14 of the 16 infants required intrapleural drainage. Persistence or recurrence of pneumothorax occurred in 9 infants, 7 of whom were receiving CDP/IPPV at the time. Lung expansion was affected only after replacement with a patent chest drain through the same incision or insertion of a second drain on the same side of the chest. All 5 deaths occurred in the group of preterm infants with HMD. 3 resulted directly form respiratory failure due to severe HMD complicated by pneumothorax. We emphasize the increasing importance of pneumothorax as a complication of HMD in preterm infants, particularly in those receiving CDP. Successful management depends on prompt diagnosis and treatment of pneumothorax, which may occur as unexplained sudden deterioration at any time during the course of illness in this group of high risk infants.
To test the hypothesis that acute hypotension resulting from pneumothorax would be associated with severe brain injury (grade 3 or 4 intraventricular haemorrhage), 67 very low birthweight (VLBW) infants of 32 weeks' gestation or less with respiratory distress syndrome and pneumothorax were studied. Thirty six had pneumothorax associated with systemic hypotension and 31 had pneumothorax with normal blood pressure. The groups were similar in gestational age and severity of their respiratory distress syndrome. Thirty two of 36 of infants with pneumothorax associated with hypotension (89%) had grade 3 or 4 intraventricular haemorrhage. This percentage was significantly greater than the percentage for infants with pneumothorax and normal blood pressure (three of 31, 10%). The risk ratio for grade 3 or 4 intraventricular haemorrhage for infants with pneumothorax associated with hypotension was 9.8 compared with neonates with pneumothorax and normal blood pressure. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that systemic hypotension and cerebral hypoperfusion are important factors leading to intraventricular haemorrhage in VLBW infants.
This study is a retrospective survey of the variables that may influence the development of pneumothorax after thoracentesis. In a 30-month period, a computer search of hospital records identified 342 thoracenteses, of which 154 were done with conventional techniques by the clinical services, and 188 were done with sonographic guidance. Other factors surveyed included the patients' age, sex, underlying pulmonary disease, and overall clinical condition; the size of the effusion; the type of tap (diagnostic or therapeutic); the amount and type (exudate or transudate) of fluid acquired; and the size of the needles used. The technique used was the most significant single risk factor affecting the development of pneumothorax (18% for clinical vs 3% for sonography-guided thoracenteses). The incidence of pneumothorax decreased when a smaller amount of pleural fluid was aspirated (mean, 246 ml aspirated from patients who did not vs 472 ml from those who did develop pneumothorax) and when thin needles were used (4% pneumothorax with 20-gauge or smaller and 18% with larger than 20-gauge needles). The other factors surveyed did not influence the development of pneumothorax. Our results show that sonography-guided thoracentesis is complicated by pneumothorax significantly less often than is thoracentesis done with conventional techniques. Use of the smallest possible needle and aspiration of the smallest possible amount of fluid will also result in fewer cases of pneumothorax.
The treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax is still controversial. To evaluate pleural drainage with a chest tube the therapeutic results in 73 patients with benign pneumothorax were reviewed. Benign spontaneous pneumothorax treated with a thick chest tube size Charrière 18-22 disappeared within an average of only 6.6 days. On the other hand, the high recurrence rate of 24% after the initial pneumothorax and 37% after the first recurrence is comparable with the results of conservative management in other pneumothorax series in the literature. Small pneumothorax without severe symptoms should therefore be supervised conservatively on an outpatient basis. The more extended forms of pneumothorax should be treated with thick chest tubes. Failure of therapeutic effect, second ipsilateral relapse or the first contralateral pneumothorax are indications for parietal pleurectomy.
There is much divergence of opinion as to how spontaneous pneumothorax should be treated or even whether it should be treated at all. Nowadays this benign pulmonary disease is primarily treated surgically, although conservative management of spontaneous pneumothorax seems to provide equally good results, as already indicated in 1932 by KJAERGAARD. Histories and clinical findings for 87 patients who were initially treated for spontaneous pneumothorax were reviewed and the factors responsible for the choice of treatment established. The mean age of the patients was 34 years, and 60% of the patients were below 30. Males predominated over females by 8:1. No coexisting pulmonary diseases were found in 80% of the patients. 54 patients were treated conservatively (no treatment except antitussives or analgesics). 46 conservatively treated patients had pneumothorax for the first time; 4 patients each had pneumothorax for the second or third time or more. 46 of 66 patients with idiopathic pneumothorax received no treatment, whereas 12 of 20 patients who had coexisting pulmonary diseases were treated surgically. The pneumothorax did not recur in 30 of 37 patients treated conservatively and observed for 1--15 years. These data suggest that conservative management is as effective as surgical treatment in uncomplicated spontaneous pneumothorax.
Postmortem chest roentgenograms in approximately 3,500 cases of a random autopsy population were reviewed. Pneumothorax was found in 77 cases (2.2%). Simple pneumothorax was present in 38 cases, and tension pneumothorax or combined simple and tension pneumothorax was present in 39 cases. Only 40 of the 77 patients had been clinically diagnosed as having pneumothorax. Pulmonary conditions most often present in cadavers with pneumothorax were bacterial pneumonia, pulmonary emphysema, and pulmonary embolism, with or without infarcts and infarct abscesses. Procedures most frequently associated with pneumothorax were mechanical ventilation and attempts at cardiorespiratory resuscitation. Rib fractures (iatrogenic and noniatrogenic) were found in 23 of the 77 cases.
In order to aid radiologists in the diagnosis of pneumothorax from chest radiographs, an automated method for detection of subtle pneumothorax is being developed. The computerized method is based on the detection of a fine curved-line pattern, which is a unique feature of radiographic findings of pneumothorax. Initially, regions of interest (ROIs) are determined in each upper lung area, where subtle pneumothoraces commonly appear. The pneumothorax pattern is enhanced by the selection of edge gradients within a limited range of orientations. Rib edges included in this edge-enhanced image are removed, based on the locations of posterior ribs that are determined separately. A subtle curved line due to pneumothorax is then detected by means of the Hough transform. The detected pneumothorax pattern is marked on the chest image displayed on a CRT monitor. With the present computer method applied to 50 chest images (28 normals and 22 abnormals with pneumothorax), we were able to detect 77% of pneumothoraces, with 0.44 false-positives per image.
OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for the development of pneumothorax in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary care center. PATIENTS: Of 1030 patients with AIDS who were followed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between 1 January 1980 and 30 September 1989, 20 (2%) developed pneumothorax that was unrelated to trauma or a pulmonary procedure. RESULTS: Of 20 patients with AIDS who presented with pneumothorax, 19 had compelling evidence of concurrent Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Using bivariate analysis, patients receiving aerosol pentamidine prophylaxis (relative risk, 17.6) and those with a history of P. carinii pneumonia (relative risk, 14.5) were more likely to develop pneumothorax. By Mantel-Haenszel stratified analysis, aerosol pentamidine use was a statistically significant risk factor independent of a history of P. carinii pneumonia. The pneumothorax-related mortality rate was 10% and there was considerable morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AIDS at the highest risk for developing pneumothorax are those with a history of P. carinii pneumonia who are receiving aerosol pentamidine prophylaxis but who nevertheless develop P. carinii pneumonia. The benefits of aerosol pentamidine prophylaxis in these patients far outweigh this risk. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia should be considered as the most likely diagnosis in any patient with AIDS who develops a pneumothorax.