i imagine you are talking about a condition called pneumothorax. the lung isn't literally exploding but a hole forms in the lung and in the lining of the lung. air can then escape out into the area surrounding the lung. the problem is this air outside the lungs puts pressure on the lungs. the lungs then can't expand and fill with oxygen. that can make getting enough oxygen in the body very difficult. when people are on a ventilator the machine is pushing air into the lungs so the chance of this happening is always higher. that's because of the pressure that can build up in the lungs. while the respiratory therapist and the doctors adjust the machine to keep the pressures down as much as possible this can still happen. the longer someone is on a ventilator the more likely problems such as this are likely to occur.
why would a person's lungs explode. my brother was on a ventilator and for 3 weeks he recently had trac surgery. 2days after surgery his lungs exploded. how can that happen?