Experimental Massive Pulmonary Collapse

¹ Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University School of Medicine. New Orleans, Louisiana.

1) It has been demonstrated that occlusion of the air passage supplying a unit of the lung which does not also communicate with another air passage (by collateral respiration) will result in atelectasis by absorption of the trapped air.

2) Some cases of atelectasis occur with a rapidity which would preclude absorption of the trapped air as a cause. Since the anatomy of the lungs and the dynamics of respiration make any cause of collapse other than. bronchial obstruction unlikely, experiments were performed to determine whether a valvular obstruction would produce rapid atelectasis. It was found that a one-way valve properly placed in the bronchus did produce rapid collapse of the corresponding portion of the lung.

3) The author believes that practically all cases of atelectasis can be explained on the basis of bronchial obstruction.