Pneumothorax Research Paper

A pneumothorax is a condition in which air gets trapped between the lungs and the chest wall. This pressure causes the lung to collapse inward onto itself. As member of both the Army National Guard and Army ROTC, I am very interested in this topic since it is a serious injury that can occur due to traumas on the battlefield. In army lingo, this injury is referred to as a sucking chest wound. We are instructed to treat it during basic combat lifesaving courses. I understand that medical treatment in a hospital for this type of injury is different and am interesting in learning more about it and the differences in treatment. I am also curious about exactly how these injuries can occur and ways to prevent them. This is especially important since it is a risk to all soldiers, whom I will be in charge of when I commission as a second lieutenant this upcoming May.
There are some factors that I already know of that we are told to look for that may cause a thoracic injury such as a pneumothorax. Any fall greater than roughly three times the height of the patient is one possible cause. Blast injuries as well as gunshot wounds to …show more content…
As stated earlier, a preexisting lung disease is one factor that will increase the risk. Statistics shows that men are more likely than women to develop a pneumothorax. I initially thought that this is most likely due to the fact that a large portion are caused from traumatic injuries and in general, men tend to have more high risk occupations. An example of this is that there is a significantly larger amount of men in the military than women. Based upon this logic, it is more likely that the risk of getting a pneumothorax is based upon occupation rather than something biological that differs between the two genders. Statistics show however, that even spontaneous pneumothoraxes occur more often in men so it may indeed be something physiological,