My husband's consultant has agreed for him to have a lung reduction operation, but says he will be at a high risk of mortality due to servere copd. His quality of life is deteriorating, and the consultant has said if he wants to go ahead it needs to be this summer. My biggest concern is that since 2017 he has been told by anesthetists for other health conditions that he would not survive a general anesthetic and therefore was given a block with sedation for one operation, and his most recent one to remove cancer in his neck was done with local anesthetic, topped up regularly during the 3.5 hour operation. I am struggling with the risk this operation is posing as he will need a general anesthetic. Also my husband is notoriously bad at doing physio when the therapists are not present and I understand you have to work hard to get the benefit from this operation. If anyone has experienced a lung reduction operation or an operation when the risk from a general anesthetic is very high I would really appreciate hearing of your experience. Thank you.
Lung reduction operation : My husband's... - Lung Conditions C...
Lung reduction operation
Hi, you might try putting 'Lung Reduction' in the search bar Camposdemurcia. Also to the right are Related Posts on it with the poster's names you can look up.Yesterday our member Cubangirl had the operation so you could follow her posts as well.
Best wishes to you and your husband. P
Thank you for your help.
Although your husbands consultant may have agreed he is a candidate for LVRS the consultant will be part of a multi disciplinary team (MDT) which includes amongst others a thoracic surgeon and a consultant in anaesthetics and they will work together is assessing the pro's and cons of doing the procedure and the risks involved.I was due to undergo the same procedure some time ago but the team thought the risks were too high of me not surviving the GA.
All of this info and the risks involved should and will be presented to your husband in a meeting with the prospective surgeon before anything is confirmed.
Perhaps your husband might care to investigate if he meets the criteria for non invasive LVRS like bronchial valve insertion which reduces most if not all of the risks given that it is performed under sedation and not a GA and could potentially give him a much better quality of life than he has now?
Best wishes for the future.
Ski's and Scruff's
🙂😺
Thank you for your help. He was initially considered for the valves but his lobes are not defined sufficient abd therefore he was deemed not suitable. His consultant is the surgeon who will do the LVR operation, but as yet he has not met the anesthetist.
It may make it safer if it can be done laparoscopically,only a few incisions are required and the time spent under GA is less,they tend to be very cautious and would only consider doing the procedure if they felt that they had at least a 90% chance of performing it safely.A lot also depends on how much lung function and reserve your husband has at the moment and his general state of health and in my case with less than 20% they didn't deem it safe to continue.
🙂
Thank you for taking the time to reply. It is very helpful to receive information on other people's experience. Right now it all feels very scary.
Your husband has been through so much and I am sorry you both have this decision to make. This summer is obviously the window your consultant is looking at. If it were me I wouldn’t rely on comments from previous anaesthetists request to speak to the anaesthetist who will be involved in the here and now.
Re experience. i had a lobectomy in 1963 when I was 15. So long ago and using completely different methods, so my experience would not be of use to you.
I hope whatever decision you both make everything works out well for you.
Love and gentle hugs
Cx
Thank you for your repky
Its a big decision to make whn consultant is saying high risk f dying.may help to ask bluntly,what the chances of surviving are, for the benefits it may give, does he think they are worth the risks? In hubbys position,what would he do ?what is hubby leaning towardsxxx
My husband would like to go ahead, but is very aware of my concerns. I am trying to find out more so I can be more supportive. Thank you for answering.
I hope u get to speak to consultant again.asking thm questions directly,they'll usually give honest opinion.its a big decision 4uboth xxxxx
Being alpha one antitrypsin deficiency ZZ I was told it was a NO for me. I’m fev1 22%
Thank you for answering although I'm not sure I understand your condition but maybe it's reassuring that the mdt do say no if the risk is too high. I think I need to understand tge post operative period and how people experienced that.
Not your loved ones condition, but I have made some decisions for myself, regarding meds. and surgery, that left my husband unable to understand. I did find it very difficult, to put into words, my reasons for what I wanted to do. Feelings regarding life and death seem to vary so much, also there does not seem to be language to make understanding easier. As to the fact he is not that good at doing the follow up Physio, that is me to T. Maybe he just wants to feel that something is being done.
Yes, I think you are right. It's really strange but the two of us attend the meetings with the consultant but the details my husband retains are the possible positives of having the operation, but he doesn't hear the risks. Whereas I focus on the risks, the length of time to feel the benefit and the need to engage with regular physio or exercise. My husband is almost 70. He has had various medical conditions throughout his later life and he never does the physio recommended, saying he will do it when he feels better. We have had numerous conversations about this, but I don't believe he will change
If he is anything like me (and I am due to be 70 later this year) he will not change. The question I asked myself, over one difficult decision, was could I live with NOT trying this, would I forever be thinking "if only". I do wish you both the best for this difficult time.
Thank you
Hi Camposdemurcia. I can't advise but I am also wanting LVRS and seeing my consultant in August to discuss. I know this is a trying time for you so I wish you and husband all the best. I will look forward to following your posts 
Hello. Thanks for replying. Good luck with your operation. This has been my first post and it is great feeling so supported..
I've had three surgeries in the last few years, the last one during lockdown. Each time I spent ages with the anaesthetist, at my pre -ops, having tests, discussing the surgery, risks, benefits etc. The surgeon said he was only a mechanic, the anaesthetist was was the one in charge. An itu bed was booked for immediately after the surgery, after about 24 hours I was popped on the ward. So it maybe best if your husband can speak to the anaesthetics team. Good luck!
I will suggest this to him. Thank you
I can’t offer any advice but wanted to wish you well in your decision and pray that things will go well if you decide to go ahead with the operation. Perhaps if he sees some improvement from physio, should he go ahead with the operation, it may motivate him to continue the physio.
Thank you. I hope he does too, but he never has before. He always has goid intentions though.
I feel for him as I am that way, at least to a degree. I always have the plans but often find something else I would rather be doing. I’m not sure what his lung function is or what his quality of life currently is, but I certainly understand you are facing a very difficult decision, especially if he has a reasonable quality of like now.
Thank you for responding. He has a restricted life, but he is relatively happy and can walk short distances. He has got a mobility scooter for further distances but hasn't been out during the winter because of the cold and covid. He spends alot of time streaming TV and searching the Internet. We do go out in the car but doesn't like to do that daily.
I really feel for you as it seems he may at least be somewhat content which make the decision that much harder. I guess from my perspective if they feel he could go ahead with the operation now, but doesn’t, it is unlikely he would be able to down the road should his condition get worse. There is no easy answer but the Anaesthesiologist may be the one making the decision and f he advises against it then there is no decision to make.
Best of luck and I pray for you in making the decision should they approve the surgery. Please let us know how things progress.
Thank you and I will
I can only offer best wishes. You really are in a difficult place. Hope the comments from more knowledgeable people help. xxx
Thank you for your support
Sorry I can’t offer any advice on this particular operation all I can say is as a carer for my husband I would go along with his decision simply because he is the one who has to live with the condition. Having said that I would want to be absolutely sure that he was fully aware of the possible outcome and not merely wearing rose coloured glasses and in denial . If after long discussion he truly wanted to take the risk , accepting the worst possible outcome then I would respect his decision, hard though that would be Wishing you love and luck whatever your decision 🥰
Thank you. I will be doing just that, but it's not easy. This forum is very supportive though
No not easy at all 😢 but we will all be here to support you throughout the journey x
Thank you. Its really appreciated
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