Spontaneous pneumothorax: outpatient management with intercostal tube drainage.
In a series of 104 episodes of pneumothorax 75 percent of episodes were managed successfully on an outpatient basis by observation (23.1 percent) or by intercostal tube drainage using a flutter valve (51.9 percent). The patients for whom this treatment was not successful were admitted to hospital; 17 of them (16.3 percent of 104) were treated surgically. Bleb suturing with a stapling device and dry sponge abrasion of the pleura was the operation of choice.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006491:Hemothorax / Q000628:therapy; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D012008:Recurrence; D012907:Smoking; D000267:Tissue Adhesions