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The treatment for water in the lung, also known as pulmonary edema, aims to maintain adequate circulating oxygen levels, preventing the onset of complications, such as respiratory arrest or failure of vital organs. Therefore, it is important that the person is referred to the hospital as soon as there is suspicion of fluid accumulation in the lungs.
Treatment usually consists of using oxygen masks and medications that help to eliminate excess fluids from the body and restore oxygen circulation. In addition, in some cases, respiratory physiotherapy may be indicated to strengthen the lungs.
How is the treatment
Since the lungs are filled with fluid and cannot absorb enough oxygen, treatment should be started with the supply of large amounts of oxygen through a face mask.
After that, to make it possible to remove the oxygen mask and allow the person to breathe normally again, diuretic remedies, such as Furosemide, are administered, which eliminate excess fluids through the urine, allowing the lungs to refill with air.
When this problem is causing great difficulty in breathing or severe pain, the doctor may also use injections of morphine directly into the vein to make the patient more comfortable during treatment.
Physiotherapy for water in the lung
After pulmonary edema, the lungs may lose some of their ability to expand, failing to carry large amounts of air. This way, the pulmonologist can recommend some respiratory physiotherapy sessions to improve the lung capacity and strengthen the respiratory muscles, through exercises indicated by a physiotherapist.
These sessions can be done up to 2 times a week, for as long as necessary to recover all lung capacity. See how respiratory physiotherapy is done.
Signs of improvement and worsening
The first signs of improvement appear a few minutes or hours after the start of treatment and include decreased breathing difficulties, increased oxygen levels, reduced chest pain and relief of wheezing when breathing.
On the other hand, when treatment is not started, some signs of worsening may appear, including worsening symptoms such as a feeling of drowning, purplish extremities, fainting and, in the most severe cases, respiratory arrest.
How to prevent it from happening again
When the symptoms are controlled and the oxygen levels in the body are balanced, it is important to identify which problem is causing the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, because if this problem is not treated, the symptoms of water in the lung can return.
In most cases, the water in the lung arises due to an untreated heart problem, such as heart failure, however changes in the nervous system or infections in the lungs can also lead to fluid accumulation in the lung. Know the main causes of water in the lung.
Depending on the cause, the pulmonologist may also use other medications such as:
- Heart remedies, such as nitroglycerin: relieves pressure on the arteries of the heart, improving their functioning and preventing the accumulation of blood in the lungs;
- High blood pressure medications, such as Captopril: reduce blood pressure, making the heart easier to work and preventing the accumulation of fluids.
When the cause of pulmonary edema is known from the beginning, in people who have had heart problems for a few years, for example, treatment can be done with these remedies from the beginning, to speed up the elimination of excess fluids.
However, in the case of people who were not diagnosed with a disease until the onset of water symptoms in the lung, the pulmonologist may refer to a cardiologist or other specialty to start the appropriate treatment of the problem, preventing the recurrence of a picture of lung water.