A 38-year-old member asked:
does pleural effusion create pressure on lungs?
3 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
Dr. David Cooke answered
Thoracic Surgery 22 years experience
It can: Pleural effusion i fluid collection in the space around the lungs. There are many causes. The fluid can compress the lung making it difficult to breathe. It may need to be drained.
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Dr. Nestor Del rosario answered
Addiction Medicine 34 years experience
Yes: The pleural fluid will exert push against the lung tissue at all phases of respiration but more noticeably it is a pressure against which the lung has to work during inflation. If the amount is high it can push one lung again the other side. And even against the heart.
4556 viewsMerged
Dr. Donald Thomas answered
Thoracic Surgery 35 years experience
Yes: The fluid can press on the lung preventing it from fully expanding.
4215 viewsMerged
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Last updated Nov 3, 2020
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