Going home after your visit
After a collapsed lung (pneumothorax)
What to watch for, and the rules to follow, while your lung heals.
You have had a pneumothorax — air leaked into the space around the lung, making part of it collapse. It is settling, but here is what to watch for and the rules to follow while it heals.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
this Emergency Department your nearest A&E other:
none needed
Call 999 or come straight back to A&E if any of these happen
These can mean the lung is collapsing again and need checking urgently.
- Sudden or increasing shortness of breath
- Sharp chest pain that is getting worse
- Lips or fingertips going blue
- A racing heart that will not settle
- Feeling faint, dizzy or like you might pass out
CALL 999 If you are struggling to breathe, or someone collapses, call 999.
Important rules while it heals
- Do not fly until a doctor confirms your lung has fully healed — this can be several weeks.
- Never scuba dive again unless you have had surgery and a specialist says it is safe. For most people this is for life.
- Do not smoke — it makes another pneumothorax much more likely.
- Avoid heavy lifting and hard exercise until you have been reviewed.
- Take your pain relief so you can breathe deeply.
Follow-up
You will be given a chest x-ray or clinic appointment to check the lung has fully re-expanded. It is important to keep this appointment, even if you feel well, as a small leak can take time to settle.
Where to get help
999
Life-threatening emergency, or a red-flag symptom above
111
Urgent but not life-threatening, or you're not sure — call or visit 111.nhs.uk, 24/7
Your team
Use the department phone in Your care details above