This intervention can be successful in treating the disease, especiallyearly-stage lung cancer.
And as long as your remaining lobes are healthy, breathing shouldn’t be a problem after the procedure.
However, a lobectomy is a major lung surgery.
Verywell / Hilary Allison
While it can be life-saving, it does come with a risk of complications that must be carefully considered.
Risk of Complications
Lobectomy has advantages over other surgical options for lung cancer.
Among them: fewer serious complications.
Apneumonectomyremoves the entire lung, rather than a lobe.
The extent of these procedures alone makes them riskier than a lobectomy.
That is not to say that a lobectomy is not without the potential for complications.
Data based on a review of major studies on the different techniques.
However, VATS procedures are not always possible or preferable to an open-chest procedure.
Depending on where the tumor is located, it may not be accessible for removal via video-assisted surgery.
If you are having this procedure, you should be prepared for possible problems that can occur.
Cardiac Arrhythmia
Atrial arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat that begins in the upper chambers of the heart.
The condition can result in aheart attackorstroke.
Persistent Air Leak
After surgery, an air leak can form.
Usually, the problem will resolve on its own within a few hours or days.
In other circumstances, it requires a post-operativechest tubeto be left in place longer than planned.
This is an uncommon, but serious, risk after surgery.
Pneumonia
Atelectasis can progress into more serious conditions, includingpneumonia.
This infection can be minor or lead to a life-threatening situation.
Studies show that the risk for pneumonia after thoracic (chest) surgery is about 6%.
If this happens to you, you may need to go back into surgery for control of bleeding.
You will be taken back into the operating room to correct the problem if it occurs.
This is known aspulmonary embolusand is one of the most serious potential complications of thoracic surgery.
Post-Operative Pain
VATS procedures are associated with lower levels of pain.
This is characterized by ongoingchest pain, breathing discomfort, burning sensations, and/or pain with movement post-surgery.
Death
All surgeries also carry a risk of fatality.
Thankfully, both forms of lobectomy surgery have low mortality rates.
In these instances, pneumonia and respiratory failure are the most common causes of death.
Lobectomy Prognosis
The prognosis following a lobectomy depends on many factors.
These include which lobe is removed and the stage of the lung cancer.
Lobectomy can improve survival, and sometimes this treatment is combined withradiation therapy.
A lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer may even result in a cure.
Your risk may actually be much lower than average if your general health is good.
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