Prevention
Preventing a collapsed lung is as important as treating one. These help avoid a collapsed lung:
Patients who smoke should stop six to eight weeks before surgery
After surgery, patients should breathe deeply, cough regularly and move about as soon as possible. Certain exercises, such as changing positions to help the lungs drain, or devices to encourage voluntary deep breathing (incentive spirometry) also help.
Patients with a deformed chest or nerve condition that causes shallow breathing might need help breathing. Continuous positive airway pressure delivers oxygen through the nose or a facemask. This ensures the airways do not collapse even during the pause between breaths. Sometimes a mechanical ventilator is needed.