Pneumothorax During a Family Dinner: A Case Report

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax can be readily identified through careful clinical evaluation.We present the case of a 26-year-old male who developed left-sided chest pain and dyspnea 36 hours before presentation, which occurred during a family dinner.He had a nine-year smoking history and denied any history of trauma.Upon examination by a family physician, who was also a relative of the patient, he was eupneic, pale, and had a facial expression of pain.Pulmonary auscultation revealed nearly absent breath sounds over the left hemithorax, leading to an immediate referral to the emergency department of the reference hospital with suspected pneumothorax.In the emergency department, the patient was evaluated and underwent a chest X-ray, which demonstrated a left tension pneumothorax.A left-sided tube thoracostomy was performed, resulting in immediate evacuation of air.A post-procedure chest X-ray confirmed complete lung re-expansion.The patient was admitted to the pulmonology ward and recovered uneventfully; the chest tube was clamped and subsequently removed, after which the patient was discharged without complications.This case report highlights two key factors: the relatively rare diagnosis of tension pneumothorax and the potential clinical bias that may arise when a physician evaluates a close relative.This situation was further complicated by the fact that the initial evaluation took place outside a healthcare facility.Nevertheless, it ultimately yielded a favorable clinical outcome.