What are the causes of open pneumothorax
When the chest is not injured, the pleural cavity itself is a closed environment containing a small amount of fluid without any gas, and the fluid in the pleural cavity acts as it moves with breathing. According to the pressure state of the pleural space, pneumothorax can be divided into three categories: closed pneumothorax, open pneumothorax, and tension pneumothorax. When the chest is injured by knives or firearms, which causes air to enter and exit the chest cavity smoothly, and causes an open pneumothorax, the air is directly discharged from the damaged chest or soft tissue rupture without the respiratory system, causing the normal negative pressure to disappear, causing extreme discomfort to the body, and in severe cases, there will be a danger to life.
1. Ventilation disorder
Damage to the pleural space causes the associated cells in the lungs to completely collapse and the mediastinum of the lungs to move to the other side. The healthy lungs on the opposite side are squeezed, and the air they breathe is severely insufficient, and the blood flowing in the collapsed alveolar area does not oxygenate properly, making it difficult to breathe. Increased arterial and venous shunts in the lungs deplete the body's large reserves of oxygen, causing a large amount of carbon dioxide to accumulate and not be excreted from the body properly. During inhalation, the injured lung is inhaled into the healthy contralateral lung; When you exhale, air from the healthy opposite lung also enters the damaged lung with the breath. This phenomenon is mediastinal flutter, which will lead to a large lack of oxygen in the body, and will also make carbon dioxide trapped in the body and unable to be discharged in time, resulting in life-threatening conditions.
2. Circulatory disorders
An open pneumothorax causes the negative pressure in the cavity to disappear, resulting in venous return. The mediastinal flutter phenomenon causes a distortion of the junction between the vena cava and the right atrium of the heart, which further exacerbates the decrease in the amount of blood returning to the heart, causing impaired blood circulation.Circulatory disorders cause insufficient blood supply to various systems, organs, tissues, and cells in the body, resulting in difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, and atrophy of the lungs. If the relevant treatment methods are not taken in time, the treatment of open pneumothorax will be life-threatening.
The above are the causes of open pneumothorax, in daily life, we should pay attention to avoid being injured by external forces and causing damage to the pleural cavity, and pay attention to our own health in time. When encountering the symptoms of open pneumothorax, it is also necessary to remain calm and treat and recover in a timely manner according to scientific methods.