Atelectasis history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sudarshana Datta, MD [2]

The majority of patients with atelectasis are asymptomatic. Common symptoms of atelectasis include breathlessness, chest pain, and cyanosis. Symptoms in patients with atelectasis depend upon rapidity of bronchial occlusion, lung area affected and presence of any overlying infection.

• The majority of patients with atelectasis are asymptomatic. Symptoms in patients with atelectasis depend upon rapidity of bronchial occlusion, lung area affected and presence of any overlying infection.

• Symptoms of atelectasis include chest pain, sudden onset breathlessness and cyanosis.

Patients with atelectasis may have a positive history of:

• Abdominal procedures
• Thoracic procedures
• Foreign body aspiration
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
• Hyaline membrane disease
• Mechanical ventilation^[1]
• Cystic fibrosis: failure to thrive, steatorrhea^[2]
• Recurrent aspiration
• Frequent vomiting
• GERD
• Asthma^[3]
• Neuromuscular diseases such as Werdnig–Hoffman disease^[4]
• Bronchial tumors such as bronchial carcinoid tumors^[5]

Common symptoms of atelectasis include:^[6]

• Breathlessness
• Chest pain
• Cyanosis
• Wheezing
• Rhonchi
• Asphyxia

Less common symptoms of atelectasis include:

• Cough: may be severe and hacking in patients with middle lobe syndrome
• Fever
• Malaise

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