Learn More
See, Play and Learn
- No links available
Research
Resources
For You
Summary
A collapsed lung happens when air enters the pleural space, the area between the lung and the chest wall. If it is a total collapse, it is called pneumothorax. If only part of the lung is affected, it is called atelectasis.
Causes of a collapsed lung include:
- Lung diseases such as pneumonia or lung cancer
- Being on a breathing machine
- Surgery on the chest or abdomen
- A blocked airway
If only a small area of the lung is affected, you may not have symptoms. If a large area is affected, you may feel short of breath and have a rapid heart rate.
A chest x-ray can tell if you have it. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Diagnosis and Tests
- Bronchoscopy and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Shortness of Breath (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Tests for Lung Disease (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Chest tube insertion - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Chest Tube Thoracostomy (American Thoracic Society) - PDF
- Pneumothorax - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Living With
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- What Is LAM (Lymphangioleiomyomatosis)? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Pneumothorax (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Pulmonary Atelectasis (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Normal saline injection and rapid rollover; preventive effect on incidence of...
- Article: Post-surgery spontaneous pneumothorax: Long-term recurrence rates and follow-up challenges revealed by...
- Article: The nodule-pleura relationship affects pneumothorax in CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy:...
- Collapsed Lung -- see more articles
Reference Desk
- How the Lungs Work (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Find an Expert
- American Lung Association
- Lung HelpLine and Tobacco QuitLine (American Lung Association)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Patient Handouts
- Atelectasis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Chest tube insertion (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Collapsed lung (pneumothorax) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Hemothorax (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Lung surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Pneumothorax - infants (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish