Key Takeaways: When
a lung is able to vet little to no air, it might lead to a collapsed lung. This
problem is termed as Atelectasis.
An acute lung disorder, Atelectasis is a condition wherein
you might end up with a collapsed lung. This is derived from Greek words which
mean incomplete expansion. This means that the lung which is on the verge of
collapsing will vet little or no air and it may affect a part or the whole lung.
Pulmonary Atelectasis
is more commonly found one. This disorder can be brought and diagnosed with a
chest radiogram.
What Causes
Atelectasis?
This condition is brought about by the collapsing of a lung,
or outside pressure on the lung which tends to obstruct it from expansion and
thus letting the smaller amount of air entering the lung. There is another type
of condition called the Pneumothorax, where the air escapes from the lungs,
thus filling the cavity between the lung and the chest wall. However, this is a
common condition found in the patients after surgery.
●
foreign bodies in the air passages –
commonly found in children
●
lung disorders
●
When mucus might be plugging your
airway.
●
When the fluid buildup between the lung
and the chest wall may become alarming – a pleural condition
●
When a person might find himself on bed
rest for prolonged periods.
●
When the breathing becomes shallow and
not enough oxygen is reaching the lungs.
● When
you might have a tumor blocking the airway.
These are some of the causes that bring about this severe
and painful condition.
There are few markers that can help you determine if you
have Atelectasis
●
You might have breathing difficulty
●
A constant chest pain, numbing pain
might accompany you everywhere.
● A
constant cough also might be the buildup for this condition.
If you are experiencing any of these conditions, calling the
doctor is most advisable.
How to treat
Atelectasis?
The primary goal in this prognosis becomes the re-inflate
the collapsed lung. This is done by trying to drain the fluid buildup between
the lung and the chest wall. Some are simple treatments like clapping which
might loosen the mucus buildup in the airways and help you breathe properly.
Conducting some deep breathing exercises which will help the
lung expand and get the proper amount of oxygen. However, with tilting the
person head backwards might also give you a similar response; the mucus might
drain adequately and quickly. Even if you just turn the person on their
healthier side, it might help them breathe easy and aid for the re-expansion of
the collapsed lung.
In more severe cases, a bronchoscopy
is performed which might help alleviate the condition. If in case there is a
tumour obstructing the airways then the patient might have to go in for further
treatment like radiation or the removal of that part of the lung via surgery.
However,
when operating or treating patients with this condition, one might keep in mind
the possibility that they might contract pneumonia.
This might worsen the situation and might call for drastic steps rather than
conventional treatment.
How to prevent
Atelectasis?
There are a few ways to prevent this condition from
occurring:
1. Keep
small objects out of the reach of children, they might experiment with them.
2. Conduct
deep breathing
exercises when a person is bedridden or they don’t have adequate
amount of movement. This will help the lungs exercise and will keep them
healthier.
3. Doctors
should ensure that after conducting anesthesia, deep breathing might be
performed to avoid this condition from arising.
These are just small preventions; if
you do contact this condition go to the doctor immediately.
