What Is Postoperative Pneumonia?
Postoperative pneumonia is a rare medical occurrence that happens after a person is administered with local anesthesia.
Causes of Postoperative Pneumonia
- The amount of anesthesia administered to the patient
- Poor handling of chemicals found in anesthesia
- The type of anesthesia given to the patient such as epidurals
Symptoms of Postoperative Pneumonia
- Mild congestion in the chest
- Cough
- Cold
- Fever which could go up to 104ËšF
- Increase in pulse rate
- A feeling of coldness
- Severe chest pain that requires immediate medical attention
- Coughing up of dark brown sputum which also requires professional check up
Postoperative Pneumonia Prevention and Treatment
- If you are experiencing symptoms of postoperative pneumonia, it is best to remain in the hospital for through treatment.Unattended postoperative pneumonia could lead to further complications and the acquisition of other infections.
- Make sure that you would entrust any surgical procedure that would involve anesthesia to professional medical experts alone.
- Complete any prescribed medication given to you by your doctor. Stopping your medications before the required the days could cause opportunistic infections to settle including pneumonia and its symptoms.
- Get enough rest.Take plenty of sleep and rest even when you start feeling better until your doctor informs you that you are already free from pneumonia and you should start taking light exercises.
- Drink plenty of liquids especially water. Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day would help you loosen up the mucus in your lungs and would keep you hydrated.