How does surgery effect asthma?







For anyone with an upcoming surgery, there are a few things to watch for (from my experience). You should have a detailed visit with your surgeon about your medical history (and family history.) Followed up by the Surgery Nurse who will usually called the week of surgery and repeat all of the same questions (so the hospital also has your medical history).

They usually ask if you have a family history (or personal history) of diabetes, kidney disease, heart problems, asthma, bad reactions to anesthesia, allergies to latex, etc. 

For asthma, they usually want to know:

  • What medications do you take?
  • Do you take a controller medicine? Or just a rescue inhaler?
  • Is your asthma under control?
It's helpful to keep a list of medications on your phone, so it you can easily tell them the names and doses of all of the medicine you take. Surgery Nurse will usually ask you to bring your inhaler to the hospital too.

So, now that they had all of their information about your medication and medical history, what about the surgery?

Some people find that your oxygen level can drop during the surgery. That can happen when they put the tube down your throat (intubate you) to help you breathe during surgery. It can help to keep your oxygen turned up during surgery.

Sometimes people are groggy after surgery and will pull off their oxygen mask without realizing it. That can be followed by a faint "Beep, beep, beep, beep" of the alarm going off for your oxygen monitor. You may hear a "Breathe! Breathe! Breathe!" from the nurse in the recovery room. You can ask them beforehand to put your mask back on if you pull it off in the recovery room.

After surgery, you may notice that your lungs don't "feel right." Sometimes people can start to breath really shallow and have a hard time taking a deep breathe. That can lead to pneumonia. 

And if you start coughing, you can pull the stitches out of the surgery site. They may have you use an "Incentive Spirometer" to help expand your lungs. If you aren't sure what an Incentive Spirometer is, you can watch a short video here to see how they work.


It may also help to use your nebulizer and have a breathing treatment. 

So, if you have a surgery day coming up, make sure you are prepared. It helps to keep taking your daily, controller inhaler and make sure you don't miss any doses after surgery either!

Keep your inhaler or nebulizer handy and make sure you call your doc if something doesn't feel right. 


Comments

  1. A cough is one of the most major risks after surgery. We have a lot of patients complaining of complication after surgery due to a cough. We always advise that patients should take care of their cough problem before going to a surgery. Our pulmonologists and allergist design a special treatment plan to handle the situation.
    Aashwas Chest & Allergy Clinic

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