Afghanistan
A member asked:
I have a mild case of atelectasis and i have to go into surgery in 1 week , is it safe?
3 doctor answers • 10 doctors weighed in
Dr. Robert Kwokanswered
Pediatrics 34 years experience
Talk with 3 doctors: Talking with one's primary care doctor, his surgeon, and anesthesiologist can help decide if the surgery should go ahead or be postponed. If the patient has chronic lung disease, his lung doctor can add an opinion and help improve the lungs before surgery. To operate or not, also depends on the urgency of the surgery. One wants to avoid post-operative atelectasis, which can lead to bad problems.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Orrin Ailloni-Charasanswered
Anesthesiology 30 years experience
Discuss it with: Your anesthesiologist. You may want to get a preop x-ray to reevaluate. Also, consider deep breathing exercises to open up your lungs. And, of course, notify your doctor if you develop a fever.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Mitchell Zeitleranswered
Anesthesiology 40 years experience
Probably: You will still need to be evaluated before having anesthesia and surgery. If for the most part you are a healthy and do not have any severe medical issues such as COPD or heart disease that limits your activity, it should not make much difference. The question is why the atelectasis.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Dec 9, 2019
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