Atelectasis risk factors

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

Chest trauma, general anaesthesia, thoracic surgery, cystic fibrosis, prematurity and respiratory distress syndrome are some of the common risk factors that predispose patients to developing atelectasis. Children less than three years of age and adults over sixty years of age are also at increased risk of alveolar collapse and impaired surfactant production in response to pulmonary stressors such as toxins, hyperoxia, hypoxia and ischemia. 

• Common risk factors in the development of atelectasis include surgical manipulation, chest trauma, general anaesthesia, and respiratory distress syndrome.^[1]

• Common risk factors in the development of atelectasis include:^[2]
  • General anaesthesia
  • Thoracic surgery
  • Chest trauma
  • Rib fracture
  • Blockage in the airway due to a foreign bodies, mucus plugs, tumors, or poorly placed breathing tubes
  • Asthma
  • Lower respiratory tract infections
  • Pneumonia
  • Bronchiectasis
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Prematurity
  • Age <3 years
  • Age >60 years
  • Respiratory distress syndrome
  • Lung cancer
  • Patients on ventilator
• Aspiration due to impaired swallowing

• Less common risk factors in the development of atelectasis include:^[1]
  • Neuromuscular diseases affecting breathing such as:
    • Guillain-Barré syndrome
    • Porphyria
    • Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
    • Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) 
    • Muscular dystrophy
    • Spinal cord injury
  • Smoking

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