Management of asthma before surgery
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Management of asthma before surgery
If you have moderate to severe asthma, you are at higher risk of developing problems during and after surgery than people who do not have asthma. Careful asthma control in the weeks before surgery may help you reduce the risk of developing complications. Some people with severe asthma may need a short treatment with corticosteroids by mouth to improve lung function before surgery and prevent complications.1
Complications that may occur during and after surgery include:
- Sudden airway narrowing triggered by placement of a breathing tube (endotracheal tube) into the airway before surgery.
- Low blood oxygen levels (hypoxemia) and possibly an increased blood level of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia).
- Decreased ability to cough effectively.
- Respiratory infection and collapse of the lung (atelectasis).
- An allergic reaction to latex (if latex is used during surgery).
References
Citations
National Institutes of Health (1997). Expert Panel Report 2: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. Clinical Practice Guidelines (NIH Publication No. 97-4051). Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Credits
| Author | Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Harold S. Nelson, MD - Allergy and Immunology |
| Last Updated | May 15, 2007 |
| Last updated: | May 15, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS |
| Reviewed By: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Harold S. Nelson, MD - Allergy and Immunology |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC |
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