5 complications that may occur after lung cancer surgery

After surgery, lung cancer patients often develop various complications due to operational factors, physical condition and other factors, such as hemothorax, empyema, bronchopleural fistula, respiratory complications, cardiovascular system complications, etc.

1. Hemothorax: Hemothorax is a serious complication after lung cancer surgery. It usually occurs within 24 hours after surgery and is caused by incomplete hemostasis during surgery or the falling off of sutures used to ligate the blood vessels.

2. Empyema: Empyema is mainly caused by the contamination of the chest cavity by bronchial or pulmonary secretions during lung cancer surgery in patients with lung cancer.

3. Bronchopleural fistula: The presence of bronchial stump cancer after lung resection, hypoproteinemia and improper surgical operation can lead to poor healing of the bronchial stump or the formation of fistula after surgery. This is more common in patients who have undergone pneumonectomy and whose lung function is significantly impaired before surgery.

4. Respiratory complications: Lung cancer surgery causes great trauma, and patients are often unable to cough effectively due to wound pain, which causes sputum accumulation and leads to respiratory complications such as airway obstruction, atelectasis, and respiratory insufficiency.

5. Complications of the cardiovascular system: factors such as old age and frailty, traction and stimulation of the mediastinum and hilum during surgery, hypokalemia, hypoxia and massive bleeding often cause cardiovascular complications such as hypotension, arrhythmia, cardiac tamponade, heart failure and so on in lung cancer patients after surgery.