An abscess is an inflammation of lung tissues with their melting and formation of purulent masses in the cavity. This pathology occurs due to the spread of pathogenic microorganisms. Readers have already learned what a lung abscess is. How it manifests itself and how to treat - read below.
Etiology of lung abscess
The following groups of people most often develop an abscess:
- Persons with cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumonia. Exacerbation of these diseases most often causes an abscess.
- Older people suffering from diabetes.
- Those who have cardiovascular disease and unhe althy habits.
Causes of disease:
- Aspiration by vomiting during sleep. Occurs in people under the influence of alcohol. The entry of vomit into the respiratory tract contributes to the rapid multiplication of microorganisms.
- Complication of inflammatory processes of ENT organs is one of the main factors in the development of lung disease and their abscess.
- Ingestion of a foreign body into the respiratory tract. Swallowing small beads or toys by a child can also provoke this pathology, but it should be noted that in this case the disease develops in a preschool child.
- Posted heart attack.
- Thrombosis of large vessels of the lung.
- Sepsis (an infectious disease characterized by the entry of pathogens into the blood).
- Decrease in the body's immune forces, hypothermia.
- Lung injury.
- Injuries to the respiratory organ at the time of surgery, tissue damage, mechanical contusion of the organ.
All enumeration of the causes of a lung abscess can contribute to the occurrence of this disease. The only preventive measure in this case is the annual monitoring of your condition and the passage of all necessary hardware examinations.
Symptoms
Symptomatics in the case of a lung abscess is directly dependent on the stage of the disease. This is due to the differences in the signs of pathology and the degree of their severity. At the initial stage of the disease, when a purulent abscess is just forming in the tissues of the lung, the symptoms are progressive and very often similar to signs of pulmonary pneumonia. For this period of abscess development are most characteristic:
- high body temperature;
- cough characterized as dry, shortness of breath becomes more frequent;
- febrile condition develops as a symptom of intoxication of the body;
- increasing pain in the chest area with a sharp cough and deep breathing.
The further the abscess develops, the more the above symptoms of intoxication worsen:
- headaches appear;
- patient complains of lack of appetite, nausea;
- general weakness.
When listening to the patient, you can see that the chest rises asymmetrically when inhaling. In addition, the intensity of symptoms depends on the size and number of formed abscesses, as well as on the type of causative agent of the resulting infection. The development of a lung abscess does not have a clear time frame and can take place rapidly from 2 days or can take up to 2 weeks.
The onset of the second stage of the disease, namely the opening of an abscess with a simultaneous outflow of contents through the bronchi, is characterized by a sharp exacerbation of the patient's condition. The main symptom that indicates this stage is the appearance of a sudden wet cough with intense sputum discharge (the volume of sputum depends on the size of the existing abscesses and can reach 1 liter).
With the release of the lungs from purulent contents, the symptoms begin to gradually decrease:
- temperature drops;
- appetite normalizes.
In some cases, for example, when an abscess is localized in the lower part of the lung (which makes it difficult to drain the infiltrate) ordue to improperly similar treatment, the disease takes a chronic form and has the following symptoms:
- exhaustion;
- general weakness;
- cough with occasional sputum;
- periods of exacerbation are followed by periods of improvement and vice versa.
Stages
Abscess of the lung is a fairly transient disease. Its development can be divided into three main stages:
- formation and suppuration;
- showdown (breakthrough);
- recovery.
The formation of a purulent lung abscess, depending on the type of pathology, can occur within two to ten days. In severe forms, it drags on for up to a month. At this time, severe intoxication occurs and symptoms such as fever, chest pain at the site of inflammation, shortness of breath, cough, weakness and loss of appetite appear.
Then comes the autopsy stage. Pus breaks through the film and begins to exit through the respiratory tract. At this moment, the state of he alth becomes very difficult, a strong cough appears with an active release of purulent and fetid sputum, the volume of which can reach one liter or even more.
After a lung abscess, bypassing this stage, the patient begins to feel better. Shortness of breath and cough decrease, temperature subsides and appetite returns. The time for complete recovery depends on the quality of the drainage and the overall severity of the abscess itself. In the most difficult cases, with incorrect or ineffective therapy, the disease can develop to the stage whenremoval of the damaged lobe of the lung.
Diagnosis
When diagnosing a lung abscess (differential), the surgeon carefully examines the patient's history and the availability of data on the inflammatory process, as well as the mechanisms of its development. The specialist also uses the following methods to obtain all the necessary information about the etiology of the violation:
- Analysis of the nature of the patient's complaints.
- X-ray for lung abscess. This method of examination is a classic hardware type of differential diagnosis of this condition from adjacent ones. The resulting images clearly show the boundaries and structure of the lung, which makes it possible to clearly determine the degree of tissue abscess development and its location. At the time of the procedure, the patient must follow all the instructions of the laboratory doctor to obtain high-quality images.
- Polymerase chain reaction for tuberculosis. To conduct an examination, blood is taken from the patient, then it is examined for the presence of cells of pathogenic microorganisms in samples of biological material. The effectiveness of this method lies in the possibility of early diagnosis of diseases, namely before the onset of symptoms of the disease.
- Purulent masses are being collected. A bronchoscopy is performed. This is a hardware method of exposure, which consists in introducing a bronchofibroscope into the oral cavity and throat for a more thorough examination. It is used in cases where a lung abscess is caused by a foreign body entering the human respiratory tract. The procedure is carried out on an empty stomach. After a specialistdifferential diagnosis, all the necessary methods of therapeutic effects are selected to eliminate the abscess of the lung tissues.
Treatment
It should be started as early as possible, only in this case it is possible to recover safely, otherwise it will turn into a chronic lung abscess. The main problem is that it is problematic to detect pathology in the initial stages.
Treatment can be done in several ways:
- taking medication;
- use of conservative methods;
- surgery.
To achieve a more sustainable result, you can combine several directions in treatment, the most important thing is that the patient's body is ready for such an impact. Medical treatment involves the use of antibiotics. Medicines of this type are necessary in order to fight the bacteria that caused the disease to progress.
Most often, the patient is prescribed drugs for oral administration, but in some cases it can be injections that are administered intravenously or intramuscularly. If the patient has a severe stage of the disease, the patient is prescribed an injection course of antibiotic therapy. Tablets are rarely used in the acute stage of the disease, most often they are prescribed at the stage of recovery.
What to take?
On average, the treatment of a lung abscess lasts about 4 weeks, it all depends on the severity of the disease and the general condition of the patient. Additionally, they can be appliedthe following types of drugs:
- antiseptics;
- expectorant drugs;
- oxygen therapy;
- detoxification medicines;
- immunomodulators.
Antiseptics help fight various bacteria and microbes. Expectorant drugs clear the lungs and help the patient feel better, restore respiratory function faster.
Immunomodulators increase immunity, a weak body becomes stronger and more effectively resists the disease. Detoxification drugs help to reduce the level of toxicity in the body after long-term use of drugs that contribute to the accumulation of toxins in the body.
Oxygen therapy quickly helps the body recover, it also has a positive effect on the body directly during treatment. During the procedure, the body is saturated with oxygen. Therapy can be carried out with or without inhalations. In the first case, using special masks, pipes or nasal catheters, the patient's lungs are saturated with special gas mixtures. In the second case, the procedure is performed subcutaneously and supraperiously. It is used for preventive and general strengthening purposes.
Conservative treatment
The main task of the conservative treatment of a lung abscess (what a lung abscess is, you already know) is the removal of purulent sputum from the organ. In addition to expectorants, the patient may be prescribed the following types of physiotherapy:
- breathing exercises;
- chest massage with vibration;
- bronchoscopy;
- postural drainage.
In addition, the patient may be prescribed a blood transfusion, which will speed up the recovery of the body. Protein and steroid anabolic drugs help the cells of the affected organ regenerate faster.
The most effective drugs of this type are Potassium Orotate and Albumin. Calcium chloride may be given intravenously. In the presence of cavities with a bronchial lumen, the lungs are cleansed of purulent sputum using postural drainage. After this procedure, antibiotic therapy is mandatory in the affected area.
Surgery
If the above treatment did not give a positive result, the only way to help the patient is through surgery. It is worth considering the fact that with large abscesses, physiotherapeutic procedures are unacceptable (there is a high probability of rupture of the pleura). Such processes will only aggravate the situation, because the infection can go to a he althy lung or other organs located nearby. It is better not to risk the patient's he alth and immediately proceed to the operation.
If the patient feels severe weakness or he has respiratory failure, specialists perform secretion suction and tracheostomy. The complexity of the treatment lies in the fact that the patient may experience resistance to antibiotic therapy, as a result of which the abscess will progress rapidly.
If the patient is indicated for surgery, thenYou can save a person only by removing part of the lung. Segmental resection is performed if the damage to the organ is insignificant. If extensive lesions are observed on the lung, there is resistance to antibacterial treatment, it is necessary to remove the organ completely.
Diet
We learned what a lung abscess is. With such a disease, it is important to follow a diet that strengthens the body, helps to recover faster and achieve positive dynamics. Throughout the treatment, it is important to adhere to the following rules:
- You need to forget about the use of s alt or reduce its daily amount to a minimum. S alt increases the load on the heart, and this should be avoided throughout the treatment.
- In no case is it allowed to take alcoholic beverages, which only aggravate the patient's standing.
- Protein foods of animal origin must be present in the daily diet.
- In addition, you need to eat foods rich in calcium every day, such as milk, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, etc.
- Eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits as possible, especially those containing vitamins A and B.
- Yeast should also be included in the diet, it is they that contain vitamin B, folic acid, fats and various minerals that help fight purulent diseases.
Complications
What is a lung abscess - now it's clear. This disease can affect the pleura and pleural cavity, inresulting in pyopneumothorax and pleurisy. Such a complication can cause the walls of blood vessels to melt under the influence of pus, causing bleeding in the lungs. In addition, there may be an infection of the adjacent lung and the development of an abscess in it.
Because the bloodstream affects all systems of the body, the spread of infection without treatment can be a matter of time. Sepsis and pneumopericarditis are on the list of major complications of lung abscess. The most severe complication that can be is death (fixed in 5-10% of cases).
