After surgery, early ambulation and lung expansion techniques eg, coughing, deep breathing exercises, incentive spirometry may also decrease risk. Atelectasis is reversible collapse of lung tissue with loss of volume; common causes include intrinsic or extrinsic airway compression, hypoventilation, and a malpositioned endotracheal tube.
A large area of atelectasis may cause symptomatic hypoxemia, but any other symptoms are due to the cause or a superimposed pneumonia. Diagnosis is by chest x-ray; if the cause is not clinically apparent, bronchoscopy or chest computed tomography may be needed.
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Symptoms and Signs. Key Points. Bronchiectasis and Atelectasis. Test your knowledge. Wheezing occurs when airflow through a narrowed segment of a small airway becomes turbulent, causing vibration of airway walls.
Which of the following is the most common cause of narrowing of the airways? More Content. Click here for Patient Education. Surfactant which maintains surface tension. Intermittent deep breathing which releases surfactant into the alveoli.
The most common factors that can cause atelectasis include the following:. Intrinsic obstruction of airways eg, by foreign body, tumor, mucous plug. Suppression of respiration or cough eg, by general anesthesia, oversedation, pain. Supine positioning, particularly in obese patients and those with cardiomegaly. Chest x-ray. Maximizing cough and deep breathing. Treatment involves maximizing coughing, deep breathing, and, whenever possible, walking. Atelectasis can happen at any age and for different reasons.
For example, newborns whose lungs are not fully developed may have atelectasis due to respiratory distress syndrome. Atelectasis can also happen when a tumor , excess mucus , or a piece of food blocks an airway, or because of a pneumothorax or pleural effusion.
You may be at higher risk of atelectasis if you smoke or have other conditions, including obesity , sleep apnea , or lung diseases such as asthma , COPD , or cystic fibrosis. You are also at higher risk if you recently had surgery. The medicines used to make you sleep during surgery can affect the way your lungs work, or the procedure itself can make it painful to breathe deeply. To help prevent atelectasis during and after surgery, your medical team may ask you to stop smoking and give you breathing exercises, medicines, or a breathing device such as a CPAP machine.
Atelectasis may not cause signs or symptoms if it affects only a small area of lung. If it affects a larger area of the lung, it can cause fever, shallow breathing, wheezing, or coughing. Mucus that plugs the airway, foreign objects in the airway common in children and tumors that obstruct the airway may lead to atelectasis. Large-scale atelectasis may be life threatening, especially in someone who has another lung disease or illness.
In a baby or small child, lung collapse due to a mucus obstruction or other causes can be life threatening. The goal of treatment is to remove lung secretions and re-expand the affected lung tissue. Treatments include:.
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