A General Guide to Atelectasis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments & Prevention

A General Guide to Atelectasis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments & Prevention Lungs and their performance can be compared to inflation and deflation of balloons. They work by getting filled up with air in a breathe-in situation and relax when air is let out. A blockage along the airway prevents normal intake into the lungs while a weakened region or hole allows air to escape, hence making it collapse just as a balloon would.

So, what is atelectasis(at-uh-LEK-tuh-sis)? It is a partial or complete collapse of your lung or a lobe of it. This condition develops when the small sacs of air known as alveoli inside the lungs get deflated. The atelectasis condition can be a probable complication of other issues of respiration such as inhaled foreign bodies, fluid present in lungs, lung Tumors, Cystic Fibrosis, chest injuries and acute Asthma.

Symptoms of Atelectasis
The symptoms of a lung that has collapse are diverse. They may be a number or all of the following:

• Decreasing levels of oxygen in the blood that make the person appear ashen or bluish with a potential of bringing on unusual hearth rhythms (also known as arrhythmias)


• Fever in the case of an infection


• Quick shallow breathing


• Acute pain on the affected region in a severe condition having a quick blockage


• Shock accompanied with severe decrease in Blood Pressure and a fast heart beat rate


• Extreme, sudden short breath in severe conditions

When the blockages occur gradually, there could be few noticeable or completely no symptoms. Symptoms that could occur in such a case may include short breath, an increased heart beat and a persistent hacking cough.

Pronounced atelectasismay occur when in hospital. Nevertheless, see a doctor immediately if you experience breathing difficulties. Other conditions other than atelectasis can lead to breathing challenges and need a correct diagnosis along with prompt treatment. If you face more difficulties in breathing, treat it as a matter of urgency and get medical attention.

Causes of Atelectasis
Atelectasis can be a result of four basic mechanisms. These are:

Airway blockage: Obstruction of the airway from the inside like through a foreign object breathed in alongside air or by a mucous plug may lead to this situation. It could also be a result of an external blockage through a lung Cancer exerting pressure on the airway. These two situations lead to a collapse of a part of the lung. The broncioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) Lung cancer fills alveoli with tumors, leading to this condition.

Airway compression: This can be a result of a fluid or maybe some air surrounding the lungs commonly in a Pneumothorax or a Pleural Effusion. It can also be a result of an Aneurysm or enlargement of the heart, tumors like Lymphomas, inflamed lymph nodes or through abdominal distention that leads to pressure exertion on lungs.

Adhesion: The alveoli are opened by something known as surfactant. In the absence of this substance, the lungs seemingly lose the needed surface tension and will ultimately collapse. This maybe well understood as the main cause of diStress in new born babies. The lack of surfactant can also take place in adults with Kidney Failure, smoke inhalation and an adult respiratory distress syndrome.

Hypoventilation: An inability to have deep breaths can lead to a collapse of some fragment of a lung. It commonly occurs during surgery, particularly with normal anesthesia, and during shallow breathing caused by pain such as with a rib fracture. This condition is the main cause of the atelectasis problem.

Risk Factors
The following are risk factors that could easily lead to atelectasis:

• Foreign items along the airway usually in children


• Anesthesia


• Tumors along the airway


• Long bed rest in one position


• Mucus stuck on the airway


• Shallow breathing particularly due to painful breathing


• Lung pressure due to fluid buildup between the lungs and the ribs usually known as pleural effusion


• Lung infections

Treatments for Atelectasis
Atelectasis treatment depends on its cause. If it is only a small portion affected on your lung, it may die out without medical attention. If there is a primary cause like a tumor, proper treatment would require removing or shrinking it through chemotherapy, surgery or radiation.

Chest Physiotherapy
There are means that help individuals to take deep breaths following a surgery for purposes of re-expanding the already collapsed tissues of the lungs. It is important to learn the techniques used before carrying out the surgery. These include:

• Percussion or clapping on your chest over the collapsed region to loosen any mucus. You can also do mechanical clearance of mucus using such devices as a hand-held equipment or an air-pulse vibrator vest.


• Doing deep-breathing workouts (incentive spirometry).


• Putting your body in a position where the head rests lower than the chest, which is known as postural drainage. This makes it possible for mucus to drain efficiently from the base of your lungs.


• Additional oxygen can assist to relieve short breath experiences.

Medications
Medications can be applied in some cases as follows:

• To open up the lungs’ bronchial tubes for ease of breathing, inhaled bronchodilators such as Serevent and Foradil can be used.


• Thinning mucus along the airway can be made possible through acetylcysteine (acetadote) to ease coughing.


• Mucus plugs can also be cleared in children having cystic fibrosis through the use of Dornase Alfa (Pulmozyme). However, the role of this medical intervention is not well defined for atelectasisfor individuals who don’t have cystic fibrosis.

Surgery or Other Procedures
Your doctor could make a suggestion of removing the airway obstructions. This can be done through mucus suctioning or through bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopy makes use of a flexible tube that is normally threaded all the way down to your throat for clearing the airways. The use of constant positive pressure could be of great help in some individuals experiencing low levels of oxygen (commonly known as hypoxemia) following a surgery.

Prevention of Atelectasis
Prevention of lungs from collapsing is always of equal importance to treatment. A collapse of the lung can be avoided by the following:

• For people who usually smoke, they should quit for a period of about 6-8 weeks prior to the surgery.


• Following a surgery, the patients must take deep breathes, cough occasionally and move on immediately. Some exercises like changing body positions to help draining the lungs, or devices to enhance voluntary deep breathes can also be of great use.


• Patients suffering from a deformed chest or maybe a nerve condition causing shallow breathes could need breathing assistance. Constant positive pressure on the airway provides oxygen by a facemask or nose mask. This makes sure that airways don’t get collapsed even in between breath pauses. A mechanical ventilator would sometimes be needed.

All You Need to Know about Bibasilar Atelectasis

All You Need to Know about Bibasilar Atelectasis The human lung is one of the most essential organs in humans, but it also hosts some horrific conditions and diseases. Atelectasis is one of the conditions where the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs deflate abnormally. In this case, the outcome is a complete or partial collapse of the lung(s). Usually, this complication arises after surgery. The grave implications of atelectasis are immediately apparent as it impairs the amount of oxygen within the body. Bibasilar atelectasis affects the left and right bottom parts of the lungs. This article will explain in detail its causes, symptoms as well as treatments so that you can better deal with or prevent this condition. What Is Bibasilar Atelectasis?
Basilar atelectasis is the name given to the condition, in which either a part of the lung or the entire lung collapses due to a hindrance. This condition affects both the left and right lungs. It can be chronic or acute, preventing the respiratory exchange of oxygen and dioxide. Because of the collapsing of the lungs, another condition known as bibasilar scarring occurs in that part of the lung. Another derivation of this condition is bibasilar sub-segmental atelectasis, which results in the compression or disintegration of a part of the lung distal to blocked segmental bronchus. What Happens in Basilar Atelectasis?
Knowing about the lung is vital when learning about basilar atelectasis. A human body has a pair of lungs, situated on the left and right sides of the chest. Contrary to common sense, both lungs are not identical; in fact, the left lung has only two partitions, compared to the three of the right lung. Both lungs contain tiny air sacs commonly referred to as alveoli. These sacs are filled with blood vessels, and are constantly involved in gas exchange. When the bottom of the lung (right or left) collapses because of an obstruction, it causes gas exchange to halt. This condition is known as basilar atelectasis. Watch a video more information of Atelectasis and Basilar Atelectasis:

Symptoms of Bibasilar Atelectasis
Symptoms
Usually, the symptoms of atelectasis are hard to pin down as they are similar to those of other diseases or conditions and can be mistaken to be signs of something else. The symptoms of atelectasis are usually:

• Difficulty in breathing


• Rapid or shallow breathing (similar to breathing after any strenuous workout)


• Coughing


• Low fever

Complications
The complications resulting from atelectasis can be quite disturbing. They include:

• Low blood oxygen (hypoxemia): this happens because atelectasis hampers the amount of oxygen the alveoli receive.


• pneumonia">Pneumonia: one of the reasons for atelectasis is plugs of Mucus. The mucus within a lung affected by atelectasis is an attractive hotbed for various bacterial infections. This can lead to pneumonia.


• Lung scarring: after a lung has collapsed, it needs to be re-inflated. Re-inflation, however, at times, fails to heal all the damage and scarring, which in turn may cause bronchiectasis.


• Respiratory failure: Atelectasis covering a small area is usually curable. Having atelectasis as an adult is comparatively better, in infants (and even adults with lung diseases), it can prove to be lethal if it covers enough area.

See your doctor immediately if you experience any problems breathing. Causes of Bibasilar Atelectasis
Atelectasis, more often than not, results from blocked airways. Since, anesthesia hampers the regular airflow-pattern of the lungs, causing a change in absorption of gases. This, in turn, plays a part in the collapsing of the alveoli in the lungs. The other reasons for an obstruction in the lungs (obstructive atelectasis) include:

• Foreign body: any foreign object, which gets inhaled rather than ingested, can cause a collapse of the lungs.


• Mucus plug: during surgery, the drugs injected into the patient cause the lungs to have decreased inflation, prompting the mucus to collect in the airways. An ordinary, medical practice of suction of the lungs helps curb this situation; though, the mucus may keep developing afterwards. This is one of the reasons doctors suggest deep breathing exercises during recovery. Mucus plugs are also found in people suffering from Cystic Fibrosis, and Asthma.


• Blood clot: suffering from severe physical trauma can cause blood to spill out inside the lungs, which, sometimes can’t be coughed out


• Narrowing of major airways from disease: diseases, like Tuberculosis and fungal infection, can give rise to scarring in the lungs which constricts the airways.


• Tumor in a major airway: since a tumor is already an obstruction, it can cause atelectasis.

Possible Causes of Non-obstructive Atelectasis Include:

• Injury: Any serious injury can cause the victim to have reduced breathing due to the pain exhibited. This can lead to compression of the lungs, causing atelectasis.
• Pneumothorax. Air from lungs gets into the space between lungs and chest wall, indirectly causing a little or whole of the lung to get damaged.

Diagnosis of Bibasilar Atelectasis
The most common method to detect atelectasis is an x-ray as it can show any sort of obstruction within the lungs. Other tests include CT scans, ultrasounds, oximetry tests and bronchoscopy. Treatments of Bibasilar Atelectasis
The treatment is highly dependent on the condition. If only a small area has been affected, no treatment might be required. If there is an outside obstruction, like a tumor, the treatment focuses on removing or shrinking the obstruction. Most doctors advise coughing, deep breathing exercises and postural drainage after surgery to help re-inflate the lungs. Medicines, like Foradil (given to patients with Bronchitis) expand the bronchial tubes, making it easier to breathe. Acetadote is used to make the mucus thin and easier to cough up. It’s important to know that smoking can increase mucus production and damage the wall. It is essentially important to stop smoking in order to prevent the condition to get worse and prevent it from happening in the first place.

Bibasilar Atelectasis

Bibasilar Atelectasis

The human lung is one of the most essential organs in humans, but it also hosts some horrific conditions and diseases. Atelectasis is one of the conditions where the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs deflate abnormally. In this case, the outcome is a complete or partial collapse of the lung(s). Usually, this complication arises after surgery. The grave implications of atelectasis are immediately apparent as it impairs the amount of oxygen within the body. Bibasilar atelectasis affects the left and right bottom parts of the lungs. This article will explain in detail its causes, symptoms as well as treatments so that you can better deal with or prevent this condition. What Is Bibasilar Atelectasis?
Basilar atelectasis is the name given to the condition, in which either a part of the lung or the entire lung collapses due to a hindrance. This condition affects both the left and right lungs. It can be chronic or acute, preventing the respiratory exchange of oxygen and dioxide. Because of the collapsing of the lungs, another condition known as bibasilar scarring occurs in that part of the lung. Another derivation of this condition is bibasilar sub-segmental atelectasis, which results in the compression or disintegration of a part of the lung distal to blocked segmental bronchus. What Happens in Basilar Atelectasis?
Knowing about the lung is vital when learning about basilar atelectasis. A human body has a pair of lungs, situated on the left and right sides of the chest. Contrary to common sense, both lungs are not identical; in fact, the left lung has only two partitions, compared to the three of the right lung. Both lungs contain tiny air sacs commonly referred to as alveoli. These sacs are filled with blood vessels, and are constantly involved in gas exchange. When the bottom of the lung (right or left) collapses because of an obstruction, it causes gas exchange to halt. This condition is known as basilar atelectasis. Watch a video more information of Atelectasis and Basilar Atelectasis:

Symptoms of Bibasilar Atelectasis
Symptoms
Usually, the symptoms of atelectasis are hard to pin down as they are similar to those of other diseases or conditions and can be mistaken to be signs of something else. The symptoms of atelectasis are usually:

• Difficulty in breathing


• Rapid or shallow breathing (similar to breathing after any strenuous workout)


• Coughing


• Low fever

Complications
The complications resulting from atelectasis can be quite disturbing. They include:

• Low blood oxygen (hypoxemia): this happens because atelectasis hampers the amount of oxygen the alveoli receive.


• Pneumonia: one of the reasons for atelectasis is plugs of Mucus. The mucus within a lung affected by atelectasis is an attractive hotbed for various bacterial infections. This can lead to pneumonia.


• Lung scarring: after a lung has collapsed, it needs to be re-inflated. Re-inflation, however, at times, fails to heal all the damage and scarring, which in turn may cause bronchiectasis.


• Respiratory failure: Atelectasis covering a small area is usually curable. Having atelectasis as an adult is comparatively better, in infants (and even adults with lung diseases), it can prove to be lethal if it covers enough area.

See your doctor immediately if you experience any problems breathing. Causes of Bibasilar Atelectasis
Atelectasis, more often than not, results from blocked airways. Since, anesthesia hampers the regular airflow-pattern of the lungs, causing a change in absorption of gases. This, in turn, plays a part in the collapsing of the alveoli in the lungs. The other reasons for an obstruction in the lungs (obstructive atelectasis) include:

• Foreign body: any foreign object, which gets inhaled rather than ingested, can cause a collapse of the lungs.


• Mucus plug: during surgery, the drugs injected into the patient cause the lungs to have decreased inflation, prompting the mucus to collect in the airways. An ordinary, medical practice of suction of the lungs helps curb this situation; though, the mucus may keep developing afterwards. This is one of the reasons doctors suggest deep breathing exercises during recovery. Mucus plugs are also found in people suffering from Cystic Fibrosis, and Asthma.


• Blood clot: suffering from severe physical trauma can cause blood to spill out inside the lungs, which, sometimes can’t be coughed out


• Narrowing of major airways from disease: diseases, like Tuberculosis and fungal infection, can give rise to scarring in the lungs which constricts the airways.


• Tumor in a major airway: since a tumor is already an obstruction, it can cause atelectasis.

Possible Causes of Non-obstructive Atelectasis Include:

• Injury: Any serious injury can cause the victim to have reduced breathing due to the pain exhibited. This can lead to compression of the lungs, causing atelectasis.
• Pneumothorax. Air from lungs gets into the space between lungs and chest wall, indirectly causing a little or whole of the lung to get damaged.

Diagnosis of Bibasilar Atelectasis
The most common method to detect atelectasis is an x-ray as it can show any sort of obstruction within the lungs. Other tests include CT scans, ultrasounds, oximetry tests and bronchoscopy. Treatments of Bibasilar Atelectasis
The treatment is highly dependent on the condition. If only a small area has been affected, no treatment might be required. If there is an outside obstruction, like a tumor, the treatment focuses on removing or shrinking the obstruction. Most doctors advise coughing, deep breathing exercises and postural drainage after surgery to help re-inflate the lungs. Medicines, like Foradil (given to patients with Bronchitis) expand the bronchial tubes, making it easier to breathe. Acetadote is used to make the mucus thin and easier to cough up. It’s important to know that smoking can increase mucus production and damage the wall. It is essentially important to stop smoking in order to prevent the condition to get worse and prevent it from happening in the first place.

Atelectasis

Atelectasis






Atelectasis is also known as closed lung or partial lung collapse since this disorder causes either total closure or partial collapse of the lobes of your lung. Tiny air sac of the lung becomes constricted (deflated) causing breathing problems. Certain diseases like lung tumors, severe Asthma, and Cystic Fibrosis can lead to atelectasis. Deflated lobes of the lung can cause life threatening complications since it may lead to Pneumonia or lung scarring. If it involves large portions of the lung it reduces considerable amount of oxygen supply to the body causing severe complications.

Symptoms :

Atelectasis can cause difficulty in breathing due to low level of oxygen in blood or shallow breathing. For some people it can cause persistent cough with fever. Often there may not be any obvious symptom if only small area of the lungs gets deflated. The above signs are present if large areas of lung are deflated.

Causes :

Two reasons can cause atelectasis. One is pressure from outside area can block the airway and the second is the air passage inside the lungs can get blocked. People who undergo any type of surgery (with anesthesia) can develop some form of atelectasis, since the given anesthesia can block or change the airflow inside the lungs. The alveoli (tiny sacs of the lungs) can accumulate extra gases and build up pressure inside leading to obstruction of airway.

Severe mucus can block the bronchial tubes causing atelectasis. This can happen during and after surgery since lungs cannot fully expand after surgery. You may not be able to cough out during surgery and even afterwards (at least for few days). This can lead to accumulation of mucus in the alveoli. Children may accidentally inhale small objects which may pass into their lungs causing deflation.

Certain diseases like severe fungal infections and TB can lead to partial lung collapse. Similarly any type of lung disease and Lung Cancer can block the airway. Any accidental injury can cause difficulty in taking a deep breath which may cause compression in the lungs. Pleural Effusion, pneumonia, lung scarring and tumor can cause obstruction of airway inside the lungs. Severe asthma, cystic fibrosis and COPD are related to atelectasis.

Who are at risk?

Individual born prematurely (before the completion of full-term pregnancy) may not have his lungs fully developed. He is likely to develop difficulty in swallowing which can cause atelectasis. People with lung disease, people undergoing surgery, and people who cannot normally yawn or cough spontaneously may develop this problem. Children of age group 1-3 years may not be able to breathe deeply can develop atelectasis.

Complications :

Atelectasis or partial lung collapse can reduce the normal input of oxygen in the blood leading to hypoxemia. Lung deflation can lead to scarring of lungs making the person more prone to develop lung infection and respiratory problem.

Diagnosis :

Your doctor would request for chest X-ray initially to verify the presence of any foreign body in the lungs. Further investigation would be doing CT scan, ultrasound scan to detect atelectasis and also to check any fluid accumulation or presence of any tumor. Bronchoscopy or oximetry test may be done for some people.

Treatment :

Your doctor will decide the course of treatment based on the root cause of atelectasis. People who are undergoing surgery should learn some techniques of deep breathing so that the lungs can fully expand after collapse. Effective deep breathing exercises, coughing and clapping on your chest can help in clearing off any unwanted gas inside. You can try postural drainage by positioning your head below the chest level so that accumulated mucus will be drained easily.

If air block is due to presence of tumor, surgery will be done to remove it or chemotherapy is used to shrink the tumor. For some people, drugs like Foradil or serevent (bronchodilators) are given to open the airway fully so that lungs can expand normally. Mucus plug can be cleared using dornase Alfa in children who develop cystic fibrosis. For severe airway obstructions, bronchoscopy is done to remove the block.

Tips for Prevention :

• Children below 3 years should be monitored closely while eating and playing (with small toys) to prevent accidental swallowing.


• Quit smoking since it reduces the mucus production considerably.


• Practice breathing exercises and do it after surgery.


• In case you are confined to bed for long term, you can change your position frequently. Coughing helps to clear the mucus from the airways.