What is the Difference Between Pneumothorax and Tension Pneumothorax

The key difference between pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax is that pneumothorax is a condition of the lung where air accumulates between the chest wall and the lungs, while tension pneumothorax is a severe variant of pneumothorax, where air accumulates between the parietal and visceral pleura.

There are many different disorders associated with the human lungs. Pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax are two such conditions that occur due to the trapping of air between vital regions of the lung. Lungs are one of the important organs of the body since they allow the exchange of gases for survival. Pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax inhibit the normal functioning of the lung and cause severe disease conditions.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Pneumothorax
3. What is Tension Pneumothorax
4. Similarities – Pneumothorax and Tension Pneumothorax
5. Pneumothorax vs Tension Pneumothorax in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Pneumothorax vs Tension Pneumothorax

What is Pneumothorax?

Pneumothorax is a condition of the lung where air accumulates between the chest wall and the lungs. In other terms, pneumothorax refers to a collapsed lung. During pneumothorax, the air stuck between the chest wall and the lungs pushes on the lung, causing lung collapse. This condition can cause a complete lung collapse or a partial lung collapse. Certain minute pneumothorax heals on its own.

Pneumothorax and Tension Pneumothorax - Side by Side Comparison

Figure 01: Pneumothorax X-ray

Causes for pneumothorax include chest injury (blunt or penetrating injury), lung diseases or damaged lungs, ruptured air blisters (blisters developed on the top of the lungs), and mechanical ventilation (due to imbalance of air pressure). Smoking, genetics, and previous pneumothorax are risk factors for this disease. The most common symptoms of pneumothorax include breathing issues, acute chest pain, shortness of breath, and physical exhaustion. Treatment for pneumothorax includes the incision of a needle or a test tube between the ribs to remove excess air.

What is Tension Pneumothorax?

Tension pneumothorax is a life-threatening variant of pneumothorax, where air continuously accumulates between the parietal and visceral pleura, causing the shift of the mediastinal. This will compress the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and other structures present in the chest cavity. Tension pneumothorax is a severe life-threatening disease condition, and this variant can develop from any type of pneumothorax condition. Individuals with tension pneumothorax develop symptoms like shortness of breath and acute chest pain. Low blood oxygen levels increase heart rate and alter mental status.

Pneumothorax vs Tension Pneumothorax in Tabular Form

Figure 02: Tension Pneumothorax

Causes for tension pneumothorax include open chest wounds (stab wounds or gunshot wounds), rib fractures, and mechanical ventilation. Physicians diagnose tension pneumothorax by respiratory distress, tracheal deviation, distended neck veins, low breath sounds, lung auscultation, and low blood pressure. Needle thoracotomy is the procedure to remove the trapped air from the pleural space and minimize the life threat until the initiation of proper treatment procedures.

What are the Similarities Between Pneumothorax and Tension Pneumothorax?

Pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax occur in the lung.
Both conditions occur in the space between the lung and the chest cavity.
Moreover, they lead to the collapsing of lung/s.
Both conditions cause respiratory distress and low blood pressure.
Pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax are treated with similar procedures.

What is the Difference Between Pneumothorax and Tension Pneumothorax?

Pneumothorax is a condition of the lung where air accumulates between the chest wall and the lungs, while tension pneumothorax is a condition where air continuously accumulates between the parietal and visceral pleura. Thus, this is the key difference between pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax. Besides, pneumothorax is curable and less life-threatening, while tension pneumothorax is life-threatening and can only be cured with immediate treatment. Moreover, mediastinal shift occurs during tension pneumothorax but not during pneumothorax.

The below infographic presents the differences between pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Pneumothorax vs Tension Pneumothorax

Pneumothorax is a condition of the lung where air accumulates between the chest wall and the lungs. Tension pneumothorax is a life-threatening variant of pneumothorax where air continuously accumulates between the parietal and visceral pleura. So, this is the key difference between pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax. The most common symptoms of pneumothorax include breathing issues, acute chest pain, shortness of breath, and physical exhaustion. Tension pneumothorax causes shifting of the mediastinal. Physicians diagnose tension pneumothorax by respiratory distress, tracheal deviation, distended neck veins, low breath sounds, etc. Pneumothorax is curable and less life-threatening, while tension pneumothorax is life-threatening and could only be cured with immediate treatment.

Reference:

1. Jalota, Ruchi. “Tension Pneumothorax.” U.S. National Library of Medicine.
2. “Pneumothorax.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “X-ray of pneumothorax signs” By Karthik Easvur – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Tension-pneumothorax” By Baedr-9439 – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia

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