How harmful is surgery for lung cancer?

How harmful is lung cancer surgery? How harmful is lung cancer surgery? With the development of thoracic surgery and anesthesia technology, lung resection is generally safer for patients with good general conditions, but this does not mean that there is no danger. After all, general anesthesia for lung surgery will seriously interfere with the respiratory and circulatory systems, and sometimes accidents may occur.

How harmful is lung cancer surgery? The risks of lung cancer surgery mainly include the following aspects:

(1)Anesthesia accident.

(2) Massive bleeding during surgery and hemothorax after surgery.

(3) Respiratory insufficiency, clinically manifested by dyspnea, rapid pulse, cyanosis, etc. In severe cases, endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are required.

(4) Bronchopleural fistula and empyema. The former refers to the bronchopleural fistula caused by poor healing of the bronchial stump after surgery due to various factors. The patient may have a fever and cough up varying amounts of serous and bloody pleural effusion from the respiratory tract, and chest drainage must be performed immediately. Empyema refers to purulent infection of the pleural cavity. The incidence of both is very low.

(5) Arrhythmia and heart failure. These are mainly related to the patient’s age and previous history of cardiovascular disease. According to statistics, the incidence of arrhythmia in elderly patients over 60 years old can be as high as 15% to 20%.

Although lung cancer surgery has various risks, in general, the incidence is still very low. As long as the surgical indications are correctly understood, preoperative preparations are fully made, and the patient and family members actively cooperate, most surgical treatments are safe and reliable.