Lung abscess (patient information)

Lung abscess happens when a substance that should not be in the lungs gets into the lungs and causes problems.

• Fever
• Cough – People might cough up mucus that smells bad, or is yellow
• Trouble breathing or catching your breath
• Fast breathing
• Noisy breathing (wheezing)

When the lungs fail to neutralize the bacteria or foreign bodies by coughing ,they gets accumulated in lungs and results in the following

• Damage to the lung tissue
• Cause an infection
• Leading to pus filled cavity formation.

People who:

• Are sleepy from surgery or have passed out from alcohol or drugs
• Have problems with swallowing, for example because of a stroke or brain damage
• Have certain conditions affecting their stomach or esophagus

Call your health care provider if:

• You develop symptoms of lung abscess
• You have lung abscess and the symptoms continue despite treatment

Physical examination of lungs along with the following tests can help in finding out lung abscess.

• A chest X-ray
• A CT scan of your chest
• Lab tests – These can include blood or urine tests, or tests on a sample of the mucus
• Bronchoscopy.
• Tests to check for swallowing problems

• Treatment depends on your symptoms and what’s causing your Lung abscess. Most people need to be treated in the hospital, at least at first.
• Options include Medical therapy with antibiotics ,or chest tube drain .
• If you have an infection, your doctor will treat it with antibiotic medicines. These medicines usually go into a vein through a tube (Intravenous). The antibiotic your doctor chooses will depends on bacteria causing your infection.
• If an object is blocking your airway, your doctor can try to remove the object during bronchoscopy.
• If a harmful substance damaged your lungs, your doctor can use a suction device to suck out liquid from your lungs.
• Some people with Lung abscess need extra oxygen. Your doctor will give you extra oxygen if you are not getting enough oxygen when you breathe normally.

With treatment, the outcome for lung abscess is good.The outlook for those with an infection depends on:

• The patient’s health
• The type of infection

Without treatment, lung abscess can result in the following complications:

• Hemorrhage ^[1]
• Pyopneumothorax
• Pleural empyema^[2]
• Fibrosis and calcification of lung tissue
• Mediastinal, pleural and cutaneous fistulas
• Sepsis

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