What is the thoracotomy?
thoracotomy is a means by which surgeons gain access to the lungs, hearts and other organs placed in the chest. Basically, it is cut onto the chest wall and there are many different ways to be done by thoracotomy. It is a significant procedure in itself, which threatens medical risks. They are usually considered against the need for cutting, doing things such as lung removal or surgery on an open heart. This means not only the opening of the chest to access the heart, but also to cut the bones, thoracic bone to provide this approach. Sternum is a hard bone located directly in the center of the chest. After performing the surgery, the thoracic chamber must be connected so that it grows together and recovered appropriately. This type of thoracotomy is associated with a significant amount of pain during recovery.
To access the lungs, the median sternotomy is not always the best choice. Instead, surgeons may choose to access the chest by cutting near the armpits or under lby the utensils. Other areas of approach are possible, and some methods are called minimally invasive because they include much smaller cuts or reach the organs below the wall of the chest or between two ribs. Smaller incisions can minimize scarring and are generally associated with less pain during recovery.
No matter what method is used, it is a major surgery and it is not something people can leave immediately. Most people may expect to spend several days in a hospital by recovering from the effects of thoracotomy and perhaps longer to recover from any operation that was required after the access to the chest was derived by cut. Patients who have these procedures risk bleeding due to many blood vessels placed in the thoracic wall, and after the thoracic wall is closed, they may usually expect to have tubes on the chest for several days and several prescribed restrictions in the chest and armsa period of several weeks. The risks of this surgery in any of its forms include collapsed lungs, lung fluid, infection and anesthesia risk.
It was previously the case if a large thoracotomy was performed if doctors need to visualize the lungs, take pulmonary biopsy or remove lung tumors. Now there are some minimum invasive alternatives, although they may not be available everywhere. Video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) allows screening of lungs and tissue and tumor removal through a very small cut in the thoracic wall, which is easily recovered compared to the slices needed in thoracotomy. In all cases, VATS is not recommended and not all hospitals have the necessary technology that would offer it as an alternative.