criteria for surgical referral if spontaneous pneumothorax
Last reviewed 01/2018
surgical referral of patients with pneumothorax
Accepted indications for surgical referral are as follows:
- second ipsilateral pneumothorax
- first contralateral pneumothorax
- synchronous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax
- persistent air leak (despite 5-7 days of chest tube drainage) or failure
of lung re-expansion
- spontaneous haemothorax
- professions at risk (eg, pilots, divers)
- pregnancy (1)
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