This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Symptoms:

  • may be asymptomatic

  • rapid onset pleuritic chest pain

  • breathlessness is seldom severe unless a tension pneumothorax develops

Signs:

  • tachypnoea

  • examination of the chest over a pneumothorax reveals:
    • reduced expansion
    • hyperresonance
    • reduced breath sounds
    • occasionally there is an inspiratory click

  • in a tension pneumothorax:
    • quick diagnosis and treatment are essential
    • breathlessness may increase rapidly
    • the shift of the mediastinum and apex beat is away from the side of the lesion

  • cyanosis is unusual unless there is a tension pneumothorax or underlying lung disease

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.