Pigtail Catheter Aspiration of Pneumothorax VIDEO How to do Needle Thoracostomy VIDEO Complications of Pneumothorax The 3 main problems encountered when treating pneumothorax are Air leaks Failure of the lung to expand Re-expansion pulmonary edema Air leaks are usually due to the primary defect—ie, continued leakage of air from the lung into the pleural space—but can be due to air leaking around the chest tube insertion site if the site is not properly sutured and sealed.