Treatment of pulmonary secretion can be done through respiratory fisioterapy, which uses specific maneuvers in the rib cage to mobilize the secretion and facilitate its elimination cough or sputum. In addition, antibiotics may be needed in some cases.
Before physical therapy, a inhalation with saline solution to moisten the pulmonary secretion and facilitate its mobilization and subsequent elimination.
The secretion can also be withdrawn through a pulmonary aspiration, when the patient is unconscious or unable to cough.
In these cases, the physiotherapist also performs the inhalation with serum and the therapeutic maneuvers, but since the patient can not cough or spit, the secretion is aspirated with a tube.
People who stay bedridden for an extended time, even if they do not have lung disease, they tend to accumulate secretion in the lungs and often need respiratory therapy.
Removal of pulmonary secretion by the physiotherapist improves breathing the patient and can prevent complicationssuch as infections.
Is the treatment the same for all types of pulmonary secretions?
O physical therapy usually, varying if the pulmonary secretion is more or less fluid.
In fact, the treatment of pulmonary secretion itself is palliative, since it aims only to alleviate this symptom and temporarily improve the patient's condition.
Each type of pulmonary secretion indicates one type of, who needs to receive treatment with specific medications and ducts. If the disease is not treated, the person will continue to produce secretion.
What are the types of pulmonary secretions and associated diseases?
Mucous secretion:
- It is similar to egg white, whitish and viscous;
- It appears in patients with chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma, when there is no bacterial infection;
- In the case of bronchial asthma, the secretion may have yellowish color, but does not mean a bacterial infection;
- Purulent discharge:
- It is yellowish or greenish and extremely viscous, being able to be "glued" to the surface of the object in which it was harvested;
- It may present consistent lumps, and may also be called "medallion secretion";
- It typically occurs in cases of bacterial lung infection;
- At pneumococcal pneumonia, the secretion acquires rust color;
- Infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae let purplish secretion, similar to raspberry jam;
- Infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa confers a greenish appearance to pulmonary secretion;
- Bilious secretion:
- It is similar to anchovy paste;
- Indicates abscesses of the liver which reached the lung by the communication between the respiratory tract and the diaphragm muscle, which is above the liver;
- Blood cell secretion:
- It presents streaks of blood;
- It may occur in cases of tuberculosis, bronchial cancer and pulmonary thromboembolism;
- In these situations, there may still be frank hemoptysis, which is the elimination of live blood;
- Roseate secretion: If it looks foamy, aerated, it can be a pulmonary congestion;
- Black or gray discharge: It can be seen in coal miners, smokers or patients with mucormycosis.
Pulmonary secretion is a sign that something is happening in the respiratory tract and needs to be investigated as it may indicate serious illness.
In case of pulmonary secretion, consult your family doctor, general practitioner or pulmonologist.
