Is lung lavage harmful to the body?

Many people in special professions need to have their lungs checked and washed regularly to remove dirt from the lungs. Therefore, many healthy people also want to wash their lungs and give their lungs a bath. However, many people do not understand that healthy people do not need lung washing. If a healthy person washes his lungs, it will not only have no benefit to the body, but may cause great harm. Let's take a look!

The correct name for lung lavage is "large-volume whole lung lavage." The entire process is performed under general anesthesia. Figuratively speaking, it is an operation to "give the lungs a bath." Lung lavage can treat the following occupational lung diseases: silicosis, coal worker's pneumoconiosis, cement pneumoconiosis, welder's lung, foundry worker's pneumoconiosis, etc.

Severe or refractory bronchopulmonary suppurative infection: due to childhood measles, whooping cough, or due to irregular or incomplete treatment of bronchitis and acute pneumonia, repeated infections occur, and clinical symptoms often include chronic cough and coughing up yellow purulent sputum.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: This is a disease caused by abnormal protein-like substances of unknown cause blocking the alveolar cavity.

Refractory asthma: For most patients with asthma attacks, the attack can be stopped in a short time with proper treatment, but about 10% of patients are ineffective with conventional treatment. If they receive lung lavage, it can eliminate the poor airway drainage caused by mucus plugs and achieve significant therapeutic effects.

Although large-volume whole lung lavage is applicable to a wide range of diseases, not everyone can do it. Patients with complications such as giant bullae, severe emphysema, cor pulmonale, active pulmonary tuberculosis, recent history of hemoptysis or pneumothorax; or patients with cardiovascular disease, blood disease, or organic diseases such as liver, kidney, and brain; or patients with trachea and main bronchus deformities that hinder the correct positioning of double-lumen endobronchial tubes, should be cautious when undergoing intubation. In addition, even patients who are suitable for large-volume whole lung lavage must go to the hospital for examination before the operation, and a professional doctor will decide whether the patient can tolerate the operation.

Lung lavage, as a new and highly professional medical technology, is a means of treating diseases and is by no means a health care procedure. This kind of medical equipment and intraoperative emergency measures require extremely "high standards" of irrigation techniques, which are not something that can be performed in street clinics. To give a simple example, if the water temperature of the lavage fluid is "not up to standard" during the lung lavage process or the postoperative care measures are not in place, these seemingly minor details are likely to cause the patient to "not wake up".

After reading the above introduction, I believe you have a more correct understanding of whether lung lavage is harmful to the body. For people with occupational lung diseases, proper lung lavage is good for the body. But it should be noted that lung lavage should be performed in a regular professional hospital. Don't do it for the sake of cheapness, which will lead to serious consequences. Healthy people do not need lung lavage.