Hemopneumothorax, or haemopneumothorax, is a medical term describing the combination of two conditions: pneumothorax, or air in the chest cavity, and hemothorax (also called hæmothorax), or blood in the chest cavity.
The resulting condition is a serious state which may interfere with breathing. The blood and air fill the pleural space, the space between the lung and the chest wall, putting pressure on the lung. This can cause the lung to collapse and be unable to fill with air (unilateral hemopneumothorax). In the most serious of cases, both lungs may collapse (bilateral hemopneumothorax). Death follows if respiration is inhibited enough.
Treatment
Treatment for this condition is the same as for hemothorax and pneumothorax independently: by tube thoracostomy, the insertion of a chest drain through an incision made between the ribs, into the intercostal space.Commonly, surgery is needed to close off whatever injuries caused the blood and air to enter the cavity (e.g. stabbing, broken ribs).
See also
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Last updated on Saturday September 20, 2008 at 12:50:41 PDT (GMT -0700)
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