Open lung surgery typically takes between 2 and 6 hours. During VATS, the surgeon makes a few small cuts in your chest. Then, the surgeon inserts small instruments and a camera through those cuts to perform the surgery. VATS typically takes about 2 to 3 hours.
Lung surgery is typically a major operation that involves general anesthesia and several weeks of recovery, although minimally invasive options exist that can shorten recovery time.
After the surgery on your lung, your surgeon will close the ribs, muscles, and skin with sutures. Open lung surgery may take from 2 to 6 hours.
You will have a few tubes in place when you wake up from the operation, such as a drip and a chest drain. You usually go home after 5 to 10 days.
Your chest may hurt and be swollen for up to 6 weeks. It may ache or feel stiff for up to 3 months. For up to 3 months, you may also feel tightness, itching, numbness, or tingling around the cut (incision) the doctor made. Your doctor will give you medicines to help with pain.
Start with short and simple walks, and gradually increase length and intensity. You can walk as much as you like as long as you feel comfortable, and daily walking - if only for a few minutes - is ideal.
Your surgeon will make a surgical cut between two ribs. The cut will go from the front of your chest wall to your back, passing just underneath the armpit. These ribs will be separated or a rib may be removed. Your lung on this side will be deflated so that air will not move in and out of it during surgery.
You can sleep in any position that is comfortable. Some patients need to sleep sitting in an upright position at first. It may be painful to sleep on your side, but it will not hurt your heart or incisions.
The risks of this procedure may include: Infection. Air in the space between the lung covering (pleural space) that causes the lung to collapse (pneumothorax) Bleeding.
Normal recovery time
Expect to stay in the hospital for 2 to 7 days after lung cancer surgery. The hospital stay for open surgery is longer than it is for VATS. Lung cancer surgery is a big operation. Once you're home from the hospital, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for you to fully recover.
Some breathlessness is normal after lung surgery. This depends on the type of operation you have had and how fit and well you normally are. If you had breathing problems before the operation, you might still have some problems afterwards.
Once the anesthesia is administered, your surgical team will place a breathing tube in your windpipe to help you breathe during the surgery. Your surgeon will make an incision on your side between your ribs to reach the lungs.
The surgeon cuts some muscle and spreads the ribs apart. He or she surgically removes the affected lung. The sac that contained the lung (pleural space) fills up with air. Eventually, fluid takes the place of this air.
Sleeve resection
Surgery to remove a lung tumor in a lobe of the lung and a part of the main bronchus (airway). The ends of the bronchus are rejoined attaching any remaining lobes to the bronchus. This surgery is done to save part of the lung. Also called sleeve lobectomy.
Lung cancer surgery can involve removing a portion of the lung or the entire lung. An operation to remove the lung cancer and a small portion of healthy tissue is called a wedge resection. Removing a larger area of the lung is called segmental resection.
While many people regard lung cancer surgery as a means to "cut out the cancer," one of the primary aims of the surgery is to restore or improve the quality of life. And, despite what some may think, people can live normal, active lives even when part or all of a lung is removed.
Whole lung lavage (WLL) is a very specific procedure that uses saline (saltwater) solution to “wash out” the lungs. It's sometimes called lung washing. The Interventional Pulmonology program at Henry Ford Health has a tremendous amount of experience in performing WLL.
A lung tumor is a tumor that occurs in the lung tissue itself or in the airways that lead to the lungs. Lung tumors can be either cancerous (malignant) or benign (non-cancerous).
You will use a breathing device to help you build up strength in your lung. It does this by helping you take deep breaths. Use it 4 to 6 times a day for the first 2 weeks after surgery. If you smoke, ask your health care provider for help quitting.
A: You may shower 48 hours after your chest tube is taken out. At this time you may take off your large bandage prior to showering and replace it with a Band-Aid® after showering. We ask that you delay taking a bath for one to two weeks.
Wear comfortable, clean clothing. Particularly suitable is cotton clothing, especially if drainage is still an issue. Walk as much as you feel able to. Stop when you are short of breath, rest, and then continue.
Types of lung surgery
Lobectomy means removing one lobe of the lung. Your surgeon will recommend this type of operation if the cancer is just in one part of one lung. It is the most common type of operation for lung cancer.
Nodules between 6 mm and 10 mm need to be carefully assessed. Nodules greater than 10 mm in diameter should be biopsied or removed due to the 80 percent probability that they are malignant.
If your lungs are in good condition and your activities of daily living are not otherwise limited, you should expect to return to your normal level of activity following the surgical recovery.