Is a traumatic pneumothorax the same as a tension pneumothorax?

No.: One can lead to the other, but they are not the same thing. A traumatic pneumothorax is one that occurs from any traumatic injury, as opposed to a spontaneous pneumothrorax. A tension pneumo is a type of pneumothorax that happens with leaking air gets trapped in the chest and pushes on the heart and opposite lung. It is a very serious condition that can cause death. It is luckily fairly rare.