What to do if your lungs are leaking air? Here are three steps to save your life!

In February 2025, singer Khalil Fong passed away. He had been hospitalized several times for pneumothorax, a condition that not only threatens respiratory function but can also interact with other lung diseases (such as COPD and tuberculosis).

1. Why do lungs leak air?

"The doctor said I have a lung leak!" This sentence sounds scary, but it's actually like a punctured bicycle tire - the surface of our lungs is wrapped in a layer of "plastic wrap" (pleura). When air gets into this membrane, the lungs are like a deflated balloon, which is pneumothorax.

👉 Three types of "leakage" reasons:

1. Born with fragile skin: Tall and thin young men, please take note! If you grow too fast during puberty, it is easy for "little balloons" (bullas) to form on the apex of your lungs, which can "burst" even when playing basketball or singing in KTV.

2. Disease-involved type: The lungs of heavy smokers are like broken fishing nets (COPD), and they have “scarred lungs” left by tuberculosis. Even a cough may cause air to leak!

3. Accidental injury type: Broken ribs in a car accident, acupuncture in the wrong place, and even hormone fluctuations during pregnancy may cause the lungs to "leak"!

2. Don’t bear these symptoms:

1. Sudden stabbing pain in the chest: Like being stabbed, it hurts more when taking a deep breath!

2. Panting like after running a marathon: In mild cases, the patient has heavy breathing when climbing stairs, while in severe cases, the face turns purple even when lying down!

3. The dry cough can’t be stopped: there is no phlegm but the chest feels like it will explode when coughing!

⚠️ The most dangerous situation: If your lips turn purple, veins in your neck bulge, and your blood pressure drops sharply - this is a fatal tension pneumothorax, call 120 immediately!

3. Three steps to save life: If someone at home has a "gas leak", here's how to save him:

🚑 Step 1: Emergency brake!

Immediately let the patient lie in a "chaise longue" position - half sitting and half lying, with the injured lung facing upward (for example, if the left lung is leaking, lie on the right side). Remember three things not to do:

❌ Don't talk ❌ Don't cough ❌ Don't breathe hard!

🌬️ Step 2: Oxygen to sustain life

If you have an oxygen concentrator, turn it to a low setting (2-5). If you don’t have one, open the windows to ventilate and keep the air circulating!

🏥 Step 3: Send to the doctor immediately

Even if you only have a slight chest pain, you should rush to the hospital as if you were sending your college entrance examination admission ticket! When carrying the patient, use a blanket to cushion the patient to avoid bumps that may aggravate the leak!

4. The three things doctors are most afraid of you doing:

1. Taking painkillers indiscriminately: mistaking chest pain for stomach pain, delaying the golden time for rescue!

2. Don’t cough: It is more dangerous if the phlegm blocks the trachea! Teach you how to cough up phlegm correctly - press the painful area with your hand and exhale gently to bring out the phlegm.

3. Hot compress massage: The more you massage, the more serious the leakage will be!

5. Tips for “repairing lungs” in hospitals

1. X-ray positioning: CT is like an "X-ray" of the lungs to find the air leak.

2. Intubation to save lives: Insert a drainage tube between the ribs to extract the escaping air.

3. Eliminate the root of the problem: Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis should take anti-tuberculosis drugs at the same time, and those with repeatedly ruptured bullae should undergo minimally invasive surgery to “repair the leaks.”

Special reminder:

1. Tuberculosis patients: Taking medicine on time every day is as important as eating. Protect your chest with your hands when coughing.

2. Tall and thin guy: temporarily say goodbye to basketball, diving and other “lung-intensive” sports.

3. Everyone: Quit smoking! Quit smoking! Quit smoking! I must say this three times!

💡 Remember the mantra: Don’t panic if you have sudden chest pain, lie still and breathe oxygen and seek medical attention immediately. Lung disease care is no small matter, early prevention and early treatment will keep you safe!

□Lu Junxiu, nurse at the infection and immunity department of Wenzhou Sixth People's Hospital