|  | Bites & Stings | Ant Bites

Atelectasis: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment - A Comprehensive Guide

Atelectasis is the collapse or incomplete expansion of lung tissue, leading to reduced gas exchange. It can affect a small area (subsegmental) or an entire lung.

Mechanisms & Causes

  1. Obstructive (Resorptive): Airway blockage (mucus plug, tumor, foreign body, enlarged lymph node) → distal air absorbed → collapse.
  2. Compressive: External pressure on lung (pleural effusion, pneumothorax, tumor, abdominal distension).
  3. Contraction (Cicatrization): Fibrosis from TB, radiation, ARDS pulls lung inward.
  4. Adhesive: Surfactant deficiency (premature neonates, ARDS) → alveolar instability.
  5. Hypoventilation: Shallow breathing post-surgery, opioid sedation, neuromuscular weakness (Guillain-Barré, myasthenia gravis).

Symptoms

  • Dyspnea (proportional to extent)
  • Cough (often dry)
  • Wheezing
  • Chest discomfort
  • Tachycardia, low-grade fever (if infection supervenes)
  • Asymptomatic if small/chronic

Diagnosis

  • Chest X-ray: volume loss, displacement of fissures, opacity, elevated diaphragm.
  • CT: defines cause (endobronchial lesion, nodal mass).
  • Bronchoscopy: visualizes/clears obstruction.

Treatment

  • Chest physiotherapy: Incentive spirometry, deep breathing, percussion, postural drainage.
  • Bronchoscopy: Remove mucus plugs, foreign bodies; biopsy tumors.
  • Treat underlying cause: Diuretics for effusion, chest tube for pneumothorax, antibiotics for pneumonia, steroids for inflammatory.
  • Positive pressure ventilation (CPAP/BiPAP): For hypoventilation/post-op.

Infrahilar/Bibasilar Atelectasis

Common post-operatively or with heart failure, COPD, obesity, neuromuscular disease. Often multifactorial: hypoventilation + compression + mucus plugging.

Ant Bites - Related Articles