Spontaneous Pneumothorax with Significant Symptoms

Primary and secondary pneumothoraxes require intervention as breathlessness reflects the risk of tension pneumothorax.

The 2023 BTS guidelines combined the management of patients with primary and secondary pneumothoraxes into a single algorithm. These guidelines categorise patients aged over 50 with significant smoking histories as having secondary pneumothoraxes.

Learning bite

Patients aged over 50 with significant smoking histories should be managed as though their pneumothorax is secondary in origin.

Pneumothorax Pathway [21]