#atelectasis

[whatiswhump]

Whumpee doesn’t sing anymore, not since they came back…

Their friends secretly worry it’s because of profound emotional trauma. But Whumpee tries not to think anymore about why they do or don’t do things so this, too, is swept away.

It isn’t until a routine chest X-ray when they have a cough for a few weeks that whumpee really understands why they never sung after… after that place.

Their lungs were partially collapsed, had been all this time. The doc said they had been operating on about half the air the should’ve, that the lower sections deflated at some point and never filled again. They ask about past traumatic injuries.

But Whumpee only shrugged silently. They understood now, all this time- never having enough air, it wasn’t just in their head.

[nightingalesandnorco]

When people talk about complications in surgery, what are some examples?

Some surgical complications are anesthesia reactions (which I talked about in this post), hemorrhage, infection, blood clots, atelectasis, urinary retention, and dehiscence and evisceration.

Hemorrhage: This is large loss of blood during or after surgery, and presents with fast heart rate and low blood pressure. Patients may also have blood in the vomit, urine, or stool if the bleeding is in the gastrointestinal or urinary tract. Hemorrhages are treated with blood transfusions, IV fluids, surgical cauterization of the site of bleeding, or medications that promote clotting.

Infections: These can be of the surgical site or other parts of the body related the surgery. These can, but may not always, present with fever, fast heart rate, malaise, fatigue, or redness and pus at the surgical site. The incision may also start to open up. These are treated with antibiotics, frequent dressing changes, and surgical or bedside drainage of any abscesses.

Blood clots: These can form in the large veins, usually in the legs or pelvis, due to inactivity. Clots in the legs and thighs present with pain, heat, redness, and swelling at the site. Sometimes, clots can travel to the lungs, creating a pulmonary embolism that presents with sudden shortness of breath; pink, frothy sputum; chest pain; and a feeling of impending doom. Clots are treated with anticoagulants like heparin to keep the clot from getting larger and thrombolytics like Plavix to dissolve the clot. Clots can be prevented with early activity after surgery.

Atelectasis: This an airless state of the lung and presents with difficulty breathing, productive or unproductive cough, and chest pain. Atelectasis is treated with deep breathing, chest percussion to loosen mucus, and Trendelenburg positioning (see the image below).

Urinary retention: This can happen as a side effect of anesthesia. The only symptom is bladder distention which may be painful. Urinary control will eventually return, but the patient will be catheterized in the meantime to prevent urinary tract infection and bladder rupture.

Dehiscence and evisceration: Dehiscence is the reopening of the surgical incision that may lead to evisceration of the internal structures. Patients usually report feeling a pop that may or may not have been painful. Dehiscence and evisceration are treated with emergency surgery.

[geekysciencemom]

RE: Surgery while being autistic with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and having a long list of past medical trauma.

I will say first and foremost - asking questions and disclosing my disabilities along with having a trustworthy support person who understands neurodiverse communication styles and advocates for your voice is so very important!

Content Warning: Breast Cancer, specifically Ductal Carcinoma in situ (Grade 1).

Proof of life! I made it through surgery!

I have so much blue dye in my body that I am peeing blue, my skin is blue and the arm where it was injected into is now very, very blue. This is very strange, but I understand what is happening.

I had the milk duct removed plus margins plus two lymph nodes.

It has been a VERY long day. I live in a rural community The surgery took place in a hospital that is an hour and a half from my home.

We arrived at the hospital at 8:30AM this morning and left around 5:30PMish. So much noise, smells, and people along with all the poking, prodding, having to remind staff repeatedly about my narcotics allergy and having to touch people I don't know just to be able to go to the bathroom. Having open communication and asking for clarification helped so much!!

My stimming was first confused for being too hot. Luckily, my support person understood my one word answer of "no". He responded with telling me that I was free to stim. I didn't have to defend or explain.

There was a very long wait time between prep and being moved into the surgical room. Yes, I was flapping. Then I ended up hitting my forehead, then chest. This was done in a controlled manner to not hurt myself. My anxiety was really high and stopping myself completely would have resulted in my bracing my body, which would have made things worse.

I am a complicated case - allergic to narcotics, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, struggled to get an IV in (blood vessels don't cooperate), internal body parts not where they are typically expected hence the extra blue dye trying to find my lymph nodes. The radioactive injection that was put in prior to surgery wasn't enough to map my lymph nodes, hence the blue dye that was injected into my arm that went all through my body.

This was my 5th surgery, first surgery for cancer.

I go back to the Oncologist on the 25th and will be started on Taxifolin for five years. I will be starting radiation in a few weeks after I recover somewhat. The radiation will be everyday for 2-4 weeks disrupting my routine and my work schedule.

I am starting an anti-anxiety medication in a few days (have to process the surgery meds first). My fight/flight response has been way too high for far too long and is impacting my health. My hope is that this anti-anxiety med will help me manage this routine disruption better.

I am having trouble breathing, which doesn't help my anxiety. I have what is called Atelectasis. Basically, alveolar collapse. Apparently, this was caused by a combination of the breathing tube I had in for hours and my sensitivity to opioids that were used during surgery.

My Ox sats were around 90-93 in the recovery room. I was given an albuterol nebulizer treatment, which helped. I was checked again and was at 97.

My Ox sats are going up and down. I need to keep my shoulders down (no bracing), and cough which is painful. I was given a device that I need to use 2-3 times a day to force the aveoli to open back up. This could be a week of this.

So, in the meantime time, I am feeling light headed from lack of oxygen and am at risk for pneumonia. I did have my viral pneumonia vaccine two weeks ago, but they are more worried about bacteria pneumonia. My husband has asthma and he is going to let me use his nebulizer as needed.

I have been a runner for over 30 years and typically have very strong lungs. Atelectasis sucks, but it is treatable.

[bpod-bpod]

Surf’s Up

Coating our airways in a sea of shape-shifting molecules, our surfactant mixtures of proteins and fats (lipids) changes how water behaves. Pushing back against water’s natural surface tension, surfactants balance the pressure along the wet surfaces of our lungs, so they can expand and contract more easily. Infections like COVID-19 interfere with these natural mixtures, so here researchers explore how they work. Applying pressure to the blob-like lipids (left to right, top row) squeezes them together, while adding increasing amounts of cholesterol to the mix (bottom two rows) causes a spectacular change. Commonly produced by our cells, cholesterol encourages the lipid blobs to extend curly wave shapes – similar to the crystal-like growth found in snowflakes – that may help surfactant mixtures spread out as we breath. Investigating these patterns, and how they’re disrupted in disease, may be the key to new treatments tackling disorders like atelectasis.

Written by John Ankers

Image adapted from work by Cain Valtierrez-Gaytan and colleagues

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Sciences Advances, April 2022

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[doctordconline-blog]

Atelectasis is the collapse or closure of a lung resulting in reduced or absent gas exchange. It may affect part or all of a lung.It is usually not bilateral. It is a condition where the alveoli are deflated down to little or no volume, as distinct from pulmonary consolidation, in which they are filled with liquid. It is often called a collapsed lung, although that term may also refer to pneumothorax. #atelectasis #lungs #pulmonology #pneumothorax #thorax #disease #diagnosis #usmle #pathology #anatomy #mbbs #md #medicine #usmlestep1 #usmlestep2 #doctor #doctordconline #nhs #nurse #nursing @doctordconline #hospital #patient

[suddenutopia-blog]

Atelectasis - The Shining References

No one will be feel hated for something they cannot control, and no one should be injured withheld their strength alongside in distress on their injuries.

Atelectasis is a Leopardus braccatus that lived in sacrifice for most of her life, that was, until she came across an injured sage in her own disappearence.

[ijtsrd]

A Case Study on Hospital Acquired Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia

by Dr. Blessy Rachal Boban | Dr. Sheethal R Johnson "A Case Study on Hospital Acquired Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia"

Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-4 , June 2021,

URL: https://www.ijtsrd.compapers/ijtsrd41174.pdf

Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.commedicine/other/41174/a-case-study-on-hospital-acquired-stenotrophomonas-maltophilia/dr-blessy-rachal-boban

callforpaperpapersinjournals, specialissuepublication, multidisciplinaryjournal

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia xanthomonas is a multidrug – resistant, aerobic non fermentative negative bacillus that is an opportunistic pathogen, particularly a common coloniser of the respiratory tract in hospitalised patients. This hospital acquired organism emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen associated with high mortality rates. This case study is based on an elderly patient diagnosed with Type 2 Respiratory Failure, who was on mechanical ventilation and had multiple organisms found in ET minibal. The patient was treated with beta lactams, macrolide, carbapenem, antifungal and fluoroquinolone. The patient was then found to be hemodynamically and clinically stable. 

[ptmasterguide]

Definition of Atelectasis

In this article, we will discuss the Definition of Atelectasis. So, let’s get started.

Definition

It is a condition characterised by the collapse of alveoli, preventing the respiratory exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the lungs. Symptoms may include diminished breath sounds or respiratory crackles, a mediastinal shift toward the side of the collapse, fever, and increased dyspnea. As…

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