What is a punctured lung?
Medically speaking, a punctured lung is synonymous with a collapsed lung, also known as a pneumothorax. Punctured lungs which are similar to collapsed lungs, work by eliminating the pleural pressure that helps to aid lung expansion. When a lung becomes punctured, it releases gas from the lung tissue as well as disrupting the natural vacuum that lung tissue utilizes. As a result, the healthy pressure difference between the lung tissue and the chest becomes altered, making it difficult to breathe. How does breathing work? The basic principle of lung expansion depends on pressure differences. Lungs expand when the pressure outside of the lung is less than atmospheric pressure. A punctured lung causes air to simultaneously enter into the pleural space. The difference in the pressure between the pleural space and the lung tissue is what causes the lung to inhale and exhale properly. During inhalation, the lung tissue has a negative pressure relative to the pleural space. This is created by
