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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Emphysema is a disease in which the walls between the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs are damaged. As a result, lungs lose their elasticity and it becomes harder to breathe out.
Healthy lungs stretch as a person breathes in, and shrink back as a person breathes out. In emphysema, air gets trapped in the lungs, making them too large for the chest cavity, which causes a person to become short of breath. This shortness of breath initially happens with exercise and eventually with minimum activity and at rest.
You have to be smoke free for 4 months or longer. There are tests that are required by Medicare and the physicians in order to determine if you are a good candidate for the lung volume reduction surgery. These evaluations include:
In addition, all patients must participate in a 6 - 10 week pulmonary rehabilitation program prior to the surgery as well as 6 - 10 sessions after LVRS.
You will be given a general anesthetic that will make you sleep during the surgery. The surgeon will use one of two techniques to perform the surgery:
The surgeon will determine which technique will be best for performing the surgery when he reviews the tests and meets with you. Approximately 30% of each lung will be removed during the surgery.
As with any surgery, there are risks associated with anesthesia and surgical procedures. The major risks associated with lung volume reduction surgery include pain, bleeding, infection, and prolonged air-leak from surgical site. Potential benefits from the surgery include improved exercise tolerance and less shortness of breath. Some people on oxygen may be able to get off of oxygen. In addition, certain patients may have improved life expectancy as well as quality of life with the surgery. The diagnostic tests and pulmonary rehabilitation may also have risks associated with them, and those risks will be explained at the time of the respective evaluations and rehabilitation.
Directly after surgery, you will go to the surgical intensive care unit or the surgical floor unit. There will be tubes in your chest wall that will allow fluid and any air leaks from your lungs to drain. You will receive medicines to ease your pain and your breathing. Pulmonary rehabilitation staff will be working with you to assist you getting out of the bed and walking as early as post-op day 1. Your progress will be closely monitored. You will have your chest tubes removed when there is no more sign of air leaks. If your recovery has gone well, you should expect to leave the hospital in about 7-10 days. You will be required to return to pulmonary rehabilitation after you are discharged from the hospital and will have to continue with follow-up visits as necessary.
This article is a NetWellness exclusive. 
Last Reviewed: Jun 29, 2007
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Phillip T. Diaz, MD Associate Professor Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine The Ohio State University |
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Mahasti Rittinger, RRT Clinical Program Manager Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine The Ohio State University |
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