If a client requires a pneumonectomy, what fills the area of the thoracic cavity?
A. The space remains filled with air only.
B. The surgeon fills the space with a gel.
C. Serous fluids fill the space and consolidate the region.
D. The tissue from the other lung grows over to the other side.
Correct Answer: C. Serous fluids fill the space and consolidate the region
Serous fluid fills the space and eventually consolidates, preventing extensive mediastinal shift of the heart and remaining lung.
Option A: Air can’t be left in space. Air in the chest cavity is called a pneumothorax, and it may cause the lungs to collapse.
Option B: There’s no gel that can be placed in the pleural space. The pleural cavity is the space that lies between the pleura, the two thin membranes that line and surround the lungs. It contains a small amount of liquid known as pleural fluid.
Option D: The tissue from the other lung can’t cross the mediastinum, although a temporary mediastinal shift exists until space is filled.