What is pneumothorax?

Prepare for the NREMT Exam with comprehensive study guides, flashcards, and multiple-choice questions, each equipped with hints and explanations. Ensure you're ready for your certification with practice tests and detailed feedback for maximum preparedness.

Multiple Choice

What is pneumothorax?

Explanation:
Pneumothorax is air entering the pleural space, the thin gap between the lung’s outer lining (visceral pleura) and the chest wall lining (parietal pleura). That air disrupts the normal vacuum that keeps the lung expanded, so the lung can partially or fully collapse and be compressed. This distinguishes it from bleeding into the pleural space (hemothorax), which is blood in that space; fluid in the alveoli (pulmonary edema or other pathology affecting the air sacs); and air in the pericardial sac (pneumopericardium), which involves air around the heart.

Pneumothorax is air entering the pleural space, the thin gap between the lung’s outer lining (visceral pleura) and the chest wall lining (parietal pleura). That air disrupts the normal vacuum that keeps the lung expanded, so the lung can partially or fully collapse and be compressed. This distinguishes it from bleeding into the pleural space (hemothorax), which is blood in that space; fluid in the alveoli (pulmonary edema or other pathology affecting the air sacs); and air in the pericardial sac (pneumopericardium), which involves air around the heart.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy