The risks for the lungs | The rib fracture

The risks for the lungs

A broken rib can result in sharp-edged fragments that can injure the lungs and cause acute shortness of breath. These clinical pictures include the pneumothorax and the hematothorax.In pneumothorax, air enters the so-called pleural gap. This is a gap between the outer and inner lung skin, where under normal circumstances there is a negative pressure.

If this gap is damaged, air flows in and out of this gap, causing the lungs to collapse. In hematothorax, blood enters the pleural gap due to injury to blood vessels. Both diseases are acute, life-threatening emergencies that require immediate, emergency treatment (by placing special drains).

In addition, in an unstable thorax, unnatural breathing movements develop in the form of paradoxical, inverse breathing. In healthy people, the thorax rises and falls up and down during inhalation and exhalation. In the case of paradoxical, inverse breathing, this extends inwards during inhalation and bulges outwards during exhalation.

As a result, the lung is constricted, no longer properly filled with air, and breathing can no longer take place sufficiently. Injuries to blood vessels and nerves in the rib and lung area are possible after a broken rib, but fortunately relatively rare. The possibility of sufficient expectoration of mucus is also an important factor in preventing pneumonia. This is the most common concomitant disease following a broken rib. Here you can read more about the topic hematothorax.

Which doctor should I consult?

Broken ribs as well as serial rib fractures are among the most serious injuries and, due to their consequences for the lungs and surrounding organs, must be examined by a doctor. This should be done either by going directly to a hospital or by consulting a specialist in orthopedics and trauma surgery. These two have all the necessary equipment for making a diagnosis (X-ray, CT or MRT). At the same time, they can react quickly and efficiently in the event of life-threatening side effects, such as shortness of breath or acute bleeding, and initiate the necessary measures.