Table 2—Definition of Terms Utilized in the Questionnaire
| Term |
Definition |
| Spontaneous pneumothorax |
No antecedent traumatic or iatrogenic cause. |
| Primary spontaneous pneumothorax |
No clinically apparent underlying lung abnormalities or underlying conditions known to promote pneumothorax (eg, HIV disease). |
| Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax |
Clinically apparent underlying lung disease. |
| Pneumothorax size |
Determined by distance from the lung apex to the ipsilateral thoracic cupola at the parietal surface as determined by an upright standard radiograph |
Small pneumothorax
|
<3-cm apex-to-cupola distance |
Large pneumothorax
|
>3-cm apex-to-cupola distance |
| Patient age groups |
Young
|
18 to 40 years of age |
Older
|
>40 years of age |
| Clinical stability |
Stable patient
|
All of the following presentrespiratory rate <24 /min, heart rate >60/min or <120/min, normal blood pressure, room air O2 saturation >90%, and patient can speak in whole sentences between breaths. |
Unstable patient
|
Any patient not fulfilling the definition of stable. |
| Drainage tubes |
Small chest tube or small percutaneous catheter
|
<14F |
Moderate-sized chest tube
|
16F to 22F |
Large chest tube
|
24F to 36F |
| Simple aspiration |
Insertion of a needle or cannula with removal of pleural air followed by immediate removal of the needle or cannula |
| Sclerosis (pleurodesis) procedure |
Chemical pleurodesis
|
Intrapleural instillation of a sclerosing agent through a chest tube or percutaneous catheter. |
Open or surgical pleurodesis
|
Pleurodesis performed with a thoracoscope or through a small or full thoracotomy. |
