The time it takes for a pneumothorax to heal on its own usually takes about 7 days. However, the exact time is related to the type of pneumothorax and the patient’s physical fitness and lung base.
Pneumothorax is a state of gas accumulation caused by gas entering the pleural cavity, and is generally categorized into traumatic pneumothorax and spontaneous pneumothorax.
Traumatic pneumothorax is a kind of pneumothorax caused by trauma, due to external trauma caused the rupture of the chest cavity, resulting in the formation of open pneumothorax in which the pleural cavity is connected to the outside world. After the patient’s lung rupture is blocked, a traumatic pneumothorax does not usually recur, and the recovery time is relatively quick, with the patient’s pneumothorax recovering in 7 to 10 days.
Spontaneous pneumothorax, a small amount can be self-healed by oxygen intake, a large number of pneumothorax, after closed chest drainage, the general situation needs 10 days to heal, with tuberculosis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary and other basic lung diseases, the healing time is even longer, up to 1 to 2 months, or even longer, need surgical treatment.
In conclusion, the self-healing time of pneumothorax needs to be determined according to the specific situation.