We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Surgery is Avoidable in Many Pneumothorax Cases

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 13 Feb 2020
Print article
A new study suggests that conservative management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax may be better than surgical intervention, with a lower risk of serious adverse events.

Researchers at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH; Australia), the University of Western Australia (UWA; Crawley, Australia), the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ; Wellington, New Zealand), and other institutions conducted a multi-center study in 316 patients with unilateral, moderate-to-large, primary spontaneous pneumothorax. Patients were randomized to surgical intervention with a drainage tube (154 patients) or conservative-management (162 patients). The primary outcome was lung re-expansion within eight weeks.

The results showed that re-expansion within eight weeks occurred in 98.5% of patients that underwent interventional management, and in 94.4% of those who underwent conservative management. The risk for complications was lower in the conservative management group than in the surgical intervention group, and recurrence of pneumothorax was more frequent in the intervention group (16.8%) than in the conservative-management group (8.8%). Conservative management also resulted in a lower risk of serious adverse events. The study was published on January 29, 2020, in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

“Patients without tubes spent much less time in hospital and had fewer complications; on average, the tube patients spent six days in hospital, while the non-tube patients spent 1.6 days,” said study co-author Kyle Perrin, PhD, of the MRINZ. “The patients were able to go home and get on with their lives immediately rather than stick around in hospital. But the obvious other outcome is the significant cost savings to the health system.”

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax is an abnormal accumulation of air in the pleural space that can result in the partial or complete collapse of a lung. It is likely due to the formation of small sacs of air (blebs) in lung tissue that rupture, causing air to leak into the pleural space, creating pressure that is manifest as chest pain on the side of the collapsed lung and shortness of breath. Often, people who experience a primary spontaneous pneumothorax have no prior sign of illness; the blebs themselves typically do not cause any symptoms and are visible only on medical imaging. Affected individuals may have one to more than thirty blebs.

Related Links:
Royal Perth Hospital
University of Western Australia
Medical Research Institute of New Zealand


Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
Gold Member
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Sample-To-Answer Test
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Cartridge (CE-IVD)
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Hemodynamic Monitoring Sensor
FloTrac Jr

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: Researchers have developed a novel risk score for cardiovascular complications after bone marrow transplant (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Tool Predicts Cardiovascular Risks after Bone Marrow Transplantation

Every year, thousands of people undergo bone marrow transplants to potentially cure serious diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, and immune deficiency disorders. While these transplants can be lifesaving,... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The new eye-safe laser technology can diagnose traumatic brain injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Diagnostic Hand-Held Device Detects Known Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

The growing need for prompt and efficient diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of mortality globally, has spurred the development of innovative diagnostic technologies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.