acute

Haemothorax

A hemothorax is an accumulation of blood within the pleural . The symptoms of a hemothorax may include chest pain and difficulty breathing, while the signs may include reduced breath sounds on the affected side and a rapid heart rate. Hemothoraces are usually caused by an injury, but they may occur spontaneously due to cancer invading the pleural cavity, as a result of a blood clotting disorder, as an unusual manifestation of endometriosis, in response to pneumothorax, or rarely in association with other conditions.

Underlined words are explained — tap any of them.

Symptoms — what it feels like

·Chest pain
·Difficulty breathing

Causes — why it happens

·
·Cancer
·Endometriosis

How it's found

·Chest X-ray
·
·CT scan
·MRI
·Thoracentesis

Prevention

·Thoracotomy
·Fibrinolytic therapy

Treatment

·Tube thoracostomy
·Thoracotomy
·Fibrinolytic therapy

Complications

·Empyema
·Fibrothorax

Outlook

·Favorable with treatment

More in Lungs

Asthma COPD Pneumonia Tuberculosis Lung cancer Pulmonary fibrosis Sleep apnea Cystic fibrosis Bronchitis Influenza Pulmonary embolism Silicosis

See all of Lungs →

Plain-language summary adapted from Wikipedia. Not medical advice.