Fluid in his lungs, 1 week in ICU at the hospital, on Mechanical Ventilation...What's wrong with my grandpa?

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pee pee	I don't know about the blood, but it sounds pretty close to congestive heart failure or pnuemonia. Let's just hope its not tuberculocus. My mother had to go to the hospital with fluid in her lungs at times. But it was because she was diabetic and she drink to much sodium filled pop, and ate to much salty foods. Could be any of the three. but if he's doing better than yesterday, it's a good sign. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Flowergirl	I will pray for your grandpa sweetheart,my daddy is going through a similar situation but he was admitted for bypass surgery and now has contracted pneumonia and the nurses have him on a ventillator as well.They do breathing treatments and then suction treatments to try to release the sputum in his lungs.The nurses are in no way,shape or form doing anything to hurt him,i thought the same thing until i talked with them to find out what and why they are doing the things(procedures) they are doing.Don't be afraid to ask,that is their job to answer any questions you or any other family member has.Take good care and know that you're not alone. ;) Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

CJBig	It sounds like he has CHF (congestive heart failure). Which is indicative of the fluid in the lungs. The stuff that appeared to be blood that they suctioned out of his lungs probably was blood. Sometimes during intubation (putting the breathing tube into his lungs) there can be a little trauma leading to some bleeding which may have gotten into the lungs. The blood in the lungs (as long as it is not too much) is not uncommon after intubation. It sounds like the doctors and nurses are doing everything right. They want him to stay asleep until his lungs heal. They will start to let him wake up when it gets closer to taking him off of the ventilator. The gagging you saw when the nurse suctioned him is perfectly normal because when they put the suction catheter down it stimulates his gag reflex. The gagging is actually a good sign. I hope I was some help in answering your questions. Good luck to you and your family. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

It's A Girl!	The machine hes on is a mechanical ventilator and the tube they put down there sounds like a ballard suction catheter sounds like he has a hemothorax where the base of one of his lungs has filled up with blood I would need more info to comment further, the procedure hes doing is a thoracentesis ( chf is not able to be diagnosed just by the presence of blood in the lungs) Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

nochocolate	Definition Chest drainage therapy involves the removal of air, blood, pus, or other secretions from the chest cavity. Purpose Chest drainage therapy is done to relieve pressure on the lungs, and remove fluid that could promote infection. Installing a chest drainage tube can be either an emergency or a planned procedure. Removing air or fluids from the chest involves the insertion of a tube through the skin and the muscles between the ribs, and into the chest cavity. This cavity is also called the pleural space. Insertion of this tube is called thoracostomy, and chest drainage therapy is sometimes called thoracostomy tube drainage. Conditions that may need to be treated by chest drainage therapy include emphysema (air in the tissues of the lungs), tuberculosis, and spontaneous pneumothorax (air in the chest cavity) that causes more than a-25% collapse of the lung. Other conditions include cancer that causes excessive secretions, empyema (pus in the thoracic cavity), or hemothorax (blood in the thoracic cavity). Almost all chest drainage therapy is done to drain blood from the chest cavity after lung or heart surgery. In cases where the lung is collapsed, removing fluids by chest drainage therapy allows the lung to reinflate. Oftentimes an x-ray is performed prior to treatment to determine whether the problem is either fluid or air in the pleural space. Sometimes a procedure called thoracentesis is performed in an effort to avoid inserting a chest drainage tube. In this procedure a needle with a catheter is inserted into the pleural space and fluid is removed. When fluid continues to accumulate, chest drainage therapy is usually the next step. This is especially true when there is a lung infection underlying the fluid build-up. Precautions Chest drainage therapy is not done if a collapsed lung is not life-threatening. It also should be avoided for patients who have blood clotting problems. Description Most patients are awake when the chest drainage tube is inserted. They are given a sedative and a local anesthetic. Chest drainage tubes are usually inserted between the ribs. The exact location depends on the type of material to be drained and its location in the lungs. An incision is made in the skin and through the muscles between the ribs. A chest tube is inserted and secured in place. The doctor connects one end of the tube to a the chest drainage system. The chest drainage system must remain sealed to prevent air from entering the chest cavity through the tube. One commonly used system is a water-seal drainage system, comprised of three compartments that collect and drain the fluid or air without allowing air to backflow into the tube. An alternative to this system is to connect the tube to a negative suction pump. Once the tube and drainage system are in place, a chest x-ray is done to confirm that the tube is in the right location, and that it is working. In some cases it may be necessary to insert more than one tube to drain localized pockets of fluid that have accumulated. Preparation A chest x-ray is usually done before the chest drainage tube is inserted. Sometimes fluid becomes trapped in isolated spaces in the lung, and it is necessary to do an ultrasound to determine where to locate the drainage tube. Computed tomography scans (CT) are useful in locating small pockets of fluids caused by cancer or tuberculosis. Aftercare Normally after the material has been removed from the chest cavity and the situation is resolved, the chest drainage tube is removed. In cases where the reason for the tube was air in the pleural cavity, the tube is clamped and left in place several hours before it is removed to make sure no more air is leaking into the space. If the patient is on mechanical ventilation, the tube is often left in place until a respirator is no longer necessary. Chest drainage therapy is usually done in conjunction with treating the underlying cause of the fluid build-up. The fluid that has been drained is examined for bacterial growth, cancer cells, pus, and blood -- to determine the underlying cause of the condition and appropriate treatment. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

damurray69	Gagging with suctioning is perfectly normal, from stimulation of the gag reflex. It is not unusual to have a small amount of blood from suctioning, especially if they have had to suction him frequently. If the doctor said he's going to drain the fluid from his lungs, he is probably going to perform a thoracentesis. If that's the case, your grandfather probably has bilateral pleural effusions, with more fluid on the right (from what you said in your question). Basically, a pleural effusion is caused by fluid filling the space between the outside of the lung and the membrane around the lungs (the pleural cavity). The causes of this can be many and varied, anything from heart and kidney problems, bacterial or viral infections, trauma, post surgical, etc. Nurses are great resources, but if you still don't understand about his condition, ask the respiratory therapist who is taking care of your grandpa. Most RT's have a greater understanding of cardiopulmonary conditions and will hopefully be able to explain it to you in a way you can understand. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

sharon w	He maybe suffering from congestive heart failure, with "pleural effusion" that's fluid build up in the chest cavity,causing the lungs and heart not to function properly.Having the breathing tube and ventilator would be used with such sick patients,the pink or bloody chest fluid with some small blood clots will be normal also. Your Grandpa is very sick,but he's getting the best care,have faith and pray for his recovery.I wish the best for him and the family. Take care. SW RNP Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

CapD	It sounds like you grandpa had a severe episode of congestive heart failure. What happens is that the heart doesn't pump efficiently and blood gets backed up into the blood vessels surrounding the lungs. Fluid (plasma) leaks into the lungs and collects. In severe cases the fluid does end up with a pink tinge to it from the blood. Basically a person is drowning in their own body fluid. Among many medications that your grandpa may be being given is Morphine. It dulls the pain of a possible heart attack that your grandpa may have suffered (and which may have brought on the episode of heart failure). It also relaxes the walls of the blood vessels, allowing them to expand in an attempt to draw some of the fluid away from the lungs. Now that I look again at what you've described, it's also possible that he suffered a pulmonary embolism, a clot that forms in a blood vessel and then migrates to the lungs. Ask your parents for more information, or ask your grandpa's doctor. I think they will appreciate your concern. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No