Fluid in Lungs After Surgery

Surgery is often taken to as a last resort to deal with a condition which does not respond to antibiotics or any other kind of conservative treatment. However, sometimes there can be many untoward complications that can occur as a result of a surgical procedure, and one of the most important complications is development of fluid in lungs after surgery. In fact, respiratory complications occur in almost 15% of general anesthetic and other major surgeries. This normally occurs in small amounts after surgical procedures, but if there is excessive accumulation of fluid in lungs, especially if it occurs to such an extent that it interferes with the normal functioning of the lungs, then it needs to be dealt with on a priority basis.

Causes of Fluid in Lungs
Occurrence of fluid in lungs after heart surgery is a common phenomenon. In fact, more often than not, this kind of fluid accumulation can occur as a result of the surgical procedure and is not necessarily an alarming condition. In fact, the accumulation of fluid after a heart valve replacement surgery occurs in most patients, is almost expected and is not considered to be a serious or major complication at all. This is the reason why patients that have undergone a valvular replacement surgery often have a tube inserted into their windpipe, so that the mucus and fluids that accumulate in the lungs can be drained out. However, it is still not understood as to why there is development of fluid in lungs after heart surgery involving valve replacement; most believe that the topical cardiac cooling that is done with ice is one of the main responsible factors. However, accumulation of fluid in lungs after bypass surgery, especially when it occurs a few weeks following the surgery, should be reported immediately, as this greatly increases the persons chances of contracting pneumonia, which could prove to be a fatal complication.

Prevention of Fluid Filled Lungs
There are certain general precautions which can be taken to prevent the occurrence of fluid in lungs after an open heart surgery, or after any other major surgical procedure. These are given below:

• After any surgical procedure, keep the lungs active and exercise them. This can be done by breathing in air and holding it for some time and then letting it out. This helps in keeping the airway clear and maintaining the tidal volume, thus, preventing the complication of developing fluid filled lungs. Also, the patient is asked to use an incentive spirometer, which is a device that helps the person to see how deeply he is breathing.
• Be active and try to get back to normal movement and activity after a surgery as soon as possible. This will keep the muscles in the body active, thus, preventing fluid from accumulating in lungs.
• If your immunity is low, then your doctor will probably put you on an antibiotic cover to prevent your chances of contracting pneumonia.

Thus, if there is accumulation of fluid in lungs immediately after surgery, more often than not, the doctor can take immediate measures to curb it. However, if this complication occurs after a considerable amount of time after surgery, then it is best to rush to the doctor and treat this condition immediately, which may be done by conservative methods, or which may in itself require surgery.