Collapsed Lungs From Medical Mistakes

A collapsed lung occurs when air escapes a punctured lung and leaks into the thoracic cavity, or chest cavity. This can prevent you from having the ability to inhale and get the oxygen that you need to function. While a collapsed lung, or pneumothorax, can be caused by lung abnormalities and chest trauma, it can also result from medical mistakes that tear or pierce your delicate lung tissue.

Your lungs are tightly encased in the thoracic cavity along with your heart and a portion of the esophagus. The diaphragm is a powerful muscle that separates your chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. To give you space to breathe, the diaphragm pulls down towards the abdomen. This decrease in pressure pulls air into the lungs so that you can inhale. After you are finished inhaling, the diaphragm relaxes, forcing the carbon dioxide out of the lungs.

If something tears the lung tissue, air can spill into the chest cavity. This air takes up space in the thoracic zone so that you do not have enough room for your lungs to fully expand. This causes the organ to deflate either completely or partially, and this condition is termed a pneumothorax.

Although a pneumothorax can be traumatic or even spontaneous, it can also occur during the course of medical treatment. Sadly, collapsed lungs are especially dangerous for patients already weakened with a condition like lung cancer. Medical procedures that can cause a pneumothorax include:

Lung biopsies
Liver biopsies
Misplaced chest vein catheters
Insertion of chest tubes, such as ventilation tubing
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR
The use of mechanical ventilation systems

When you suffer from a collapsed lung, you may notice a sudden sharp pain in your chest that is to the side, not central like a heart attack. Additionally, your chest may feel tight. You can experience shortness of breath, with the severity depending on the extent of the collapse. Lastly, your heart may start to beat more rapidly as it tries to compensate for your lack of oxygen.

If you have experienced the pain and suffering of a pneumothorax due to a medical mistake, you should not let this terrible healthcare negligence go unpunished.