Precautions for Thoracic Surgery

Publishing Unit: 通資組

Preoperative Preparation

1. Before surgery, first learn to perform deep breathing and coughing so that after surgery you can use these actions to remove pulmonary secretions (such as sputum).

Postoperative Care

1. When awake after surgery, adopt a semi-sitting position, perform deep breathing and coughing exercises at least once per hour, each session lasting 15 minutes, to promote lung expansion, increase vital capacity, and facilitate chest tube drainage.
2. On the same side as the surgery, you can perform arm and shoulder joint exercises to prevent muscle atrophy and joint stiffness, and to alleviate postoperative discomfort.
3. After surgery, get out of bed and move as early as possible to reduce postoperative complications.

Chest Tube Care

1. If you have a chest tube, do not twist or compress it, and do not bend the tube arbitrarily, to avoid excessive intrathoracic pressure that could cause injury (such as pneumothorax).
2. Keep the chest drainage bottle at least 15 cm lower than the insertion point of the chest tube to prevent backflow of drainage fluid.
3. If the drainage bottle is accidentally tipped over, straighten it immediately, take a few deep breaths, and notify medical staff for assistance.
4. During inhalation, the water in the long glass tube of the drainage bottle rises; during exhalation and forceful coughing it falls and bubbles appear, indicating proper function.