How many days does it take for a pneumothorax to heal?

Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Updated on January 26, 2025
00:00
00:00

The healing time for a patient with pneumothorax, or how many days it takes to heal, mainly depends on when the rupture on the lung heals. In younger patients who have good elasticity and strong healing capabilities, and whose nutrition keeps up, pneumothorax tends to heal relatively easily. Especially in younger patients experiencing pneumothorax for the first time, 70-80% may heal within two to three days because the gas escapes very quickly. Once the surface rupture on the lung heals, it can be cleared within a day, leading to healing. However, if the patient is older and also has conditions like tuberculosis or chronic bronchitis, the elasticity of the lungs is poorer, making healing difficult. Like a balloon without elasticity, if it gets a rupture, it may continue to expand, complicating the prediction of healing time. Regardless of age, whether the patient is young or old, if pneumothorax recurs a second time, it is advisable to seek aggressive treatment. Patients who have experienced pneumothorax twice are at more than a 70% to 80% risk of a third occurrence. This indicates a weak spot on the lung surface, similar to a wound on the hand. If a hand wound does not heal in a few days, it can be sutured. The same applies to lung surface wounds; as it is located inside the chest cavity, a thoracoscope is needed for suturing. Thus, in normal circumstances, pneumothorax could heal in a few days, but if repeatedly delayed, aggressive treatment might be necessary.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
45sec home-news-image

Can pneumothorax recover by itself?

Pneumothorax is caused by a rupture of the pleura, allowing air to enter the pleural space. Patients often display symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. A lung radiograph can confirm the presence of a pneumothorax. Whether a patient with pneumothorax can recover on their own depends on the size of the pneumothorax. If it is a large pneumothorax, especially a communicative or tension pneumothorax, self-recovery is not possible, and treatment generally involves pleural puncture or pleural drainage tube placement. However, if the amount of air in the pneumothorax is small and the patient does not exhibit severe symptoms, then it is possible for the condition to resolve itself with bed rest.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
1min 24sec home-news-image

How to treat rib fractures and pneumothorax?

The most significant complication of an acute rib fracture is pneumothorax, often seen in traffic accidents, such as when an airbag deployment causes barotraumatic injury to the chest, or directly from a vehicular collision that breaks the ribs and causes air leakage from the lungs. The leaked air from the lung compresses it by accumulating in the chest cavity. In cases of pneumothorax, if it is severe, it is essential to go to the hospital. The treatment involves a doctor performing a closed chest drainage procedure, which practically means inserting a tube at the midclavicular line of the second intercostal space. One end of this tube is inserted into the chest cavity, while the other end connects to a negative pressure drainage bottle. After the surgery, the gas in the chest cavity is expelled directly into the drainage bottle and then out of the bottle, effectively resolving the issue. Therefore, for the treatment of pneumothorax caused by rib fractures, firstly, one must go to the hospital and consult thoracic surgery; secondly, the doctor performs a minor procedure, closed chest drainage, to expel the air from the chest cavity. After observing for a period to ensure no further leakage and good lung expansion, the drainage tube can be clamped off. After two to three days of observation, the tube can be removed, which successfully treats the pneumothorax.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
39sec home-news-image

Pneumothorax pleurodesis: what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Pleurodesis for pneumothorax involves injecting a sclerosant into the pleural cavity to induce a sterile inflammation, causing adhesion of the parietal and visceral pleurae, thereby eliminating the pleural space. This can be used to treat pneumothorax. The benefits include a high success rate, simple operation, and low recurrence rate. The downside is that there can be adverse reactions, the most common being chest pain and fever; severe cases may cause acute respiratory distress syndrome. Therefore, extra care is needed during the pleurodesis procedure.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
58sec home-news-image

Pneumothorax recurrence symptoms

We know that normally there is no air in the pleural cavity, only a small amount of fluid or lubricant exists. However, in certain people, such as those who often smoke, tall and thin young people, and patients with chronic bronchitis, the alveoli in their lungs tend to be more fragile and can easily rupture. People experiencing a pneumothorax for the first time might feel this during certain situations like after a cold, coughing, sneezing, or playing sports, which can lead to a recurrence of the pneumothorax. Early symptoms of a recurrence, due to only a small amount of air compression, might not be very uncomfortable, just a slight sense of difficulty breathing. As the pneumothorax increases, symptoms like chest pain and difficulty breathing can develop. Therefore, the symptoms of a recurring pneumothorax are not identical each time, but there is a pattern; the severity can range from mild breathing difficulty to severe respiratory distress and chest pain.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Zhi Gong
Cardiothoracic Surgery
1min 15sec home-news-image

How many days after pneumothorax can one smoke?

For patients with pneumothorax, it is advised to strictly quit smoking, as smoking greatly increases the recurrence of pneumothorax. Smoking leads to airway inflammation and respiratory bronchitis. Among male patients with pneumothorax, compared to non-smokers, smokers have a significantly higher incidence of pneumothorax, which is related to the degree of smoking. If the patient smokes less than half a pack, the recurrence rate of his pneumothorax is about 7 times higher. For moderate smokers, those who smoke between half a pack and one pack, the recurrence rate increases to 21 times. If one smokes a pack a day, the recurrence rate rises to 102 times, this is in males. In females, for those smoking less than half a pack, between half a pack and one pack, and more than one pack, the recurrence rates of pneumothorax become 4 times, 14 times, and 68 times respectively. Therefore, for both male and female patients with pneumothorax, smoking significantly increases the probability of recurrence. So, once pneumothorax is resolved, quit smoking as well, to prevent any future recurrences.