Tyler Colvin Suffers Collapsed Lung From Broken Bat; Season Over [VIDEO]

(Sept. 20) -- In Sunday night's major league game between the Cubs and the Marlins, Chicago outfielder Tyler Colvin was impaled with the shard of broken bat as he headed from third base to home plate.

The sharp point of the bat punctured Colvin's chest, and he was hospitalized for pneumothorax, an injury that has ended his season, MLB.com reported.

According to the National Institutes of Health, pneumothorax, which is commonly known as collapsed lung, is often caused by "chest trauma, such as gunshot or knife wounds, rib fracture or after certain medical procedures."

In Colvin's case, the trauma was the direct result of the blunt force of Marlins player Welington Castillo's stake-like bat puncturing his upper chest. Here's how it looked, via CBS News:


Symptoms for pneumothorax
Collapsed lung is typified by some or all of the following symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, rapid heart rate, a bluish color to the skin, low blood pressure and nasal flaring, the NIH said.

Treatment for pneumothorax
The two simplest ways to treat collapsed lung are with oxygen and rest. Colvin also had a tube inserted into his chest to help drain the air from the cavity formed when the bat struck him. This will allow his lungs to expand fully once again. In some cases, lung surgery is required.

Long term prognosis for pneumothorax
Fanhouse reported that Colvin will sit out the remainder of the baseball season due to his injury, but it remains unclear whether he will suffer long-term effects because of it. As the NIH notes, "how well a person does after having a collapsed lung depends on what caused it."