What Is Bibasilar Atelectasis?
Bibasilar atelectasis is a condition that happens when you have a partial collapse of your lungs. This type of collapse is caused when the small air sacs in the lungs deflate. These small air sacs are called alveoli. Bibasilar atelectasis specifically refers to the collapse of the lower sections of your lungs. It’s a lot less common, but bibasilar atelectasis can also refer to a total lung collapse.
Symptoms
Usually, the symptoms of atelectasis are hard to track as they are similar to those of other diseases or conditions and can be mistaken to be signs of something else. The symptoms of atelectasis are usually:
- Difficulty in breathing
- Rapid or shallow breathing (similar to breathing after any strenuous workout)
- Coughing
- Low fever
Causes
Bibasilar atelectasis usually occurs after you’ve had a surgical procedure that involves general anesthesia, especially chest or abdominal surgery. However, there are some other causes as well. The causes of bibasilar atelectasis fall into two categories which are obstructive or nonobstructive. The obstructive category of this condition means it’s caused by something that’s in the way of the airway. On the other hand, the nonobstructive category means it’s caused by something creating pressure on the lungs that’s not allowing your lungs to fill with oxygen. The causes for obstructive bibasilar atelectasis may include the following:
- Mucus accumulating in your lungs which causes mucus plug to form. This usually occurs after some surgeries.
- A foreign object that has been inhaled into the lungs. This may be a small piece of food, a small piece of a toy, or something similar.
- The major airways are made narrower by disease. This may be from tuberculosis, chronic infections, and so on.
- A blood clot in the airway, but only if there’s a large amount of bleeding into the lungs and you’re not able to cough it out.
- An abnormal growth (tumor) in the airway.
Risk factors
Factors that increase the risk of atelectasis include:
- Age — being younger than 3 or older than 60 years of age.
- Any condition that interferes with spontaneous coughing, yawning and sighing.
- Confinement to bed with infrequent changes of position.
- Lung disease, such as asthma in children, COPD, bronchiectasis or cystic fibrosis.
- Premature birth.
- Recent abdominal or chest surgery.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose Bibasilar Atelectasis, a physician may perform a variety of tests and procedures like a complete blood counts, check the functioning of the kidneys, and checking serum electrolytes. Radiographic tests like an x-rays of the chest may be done to look for any obstruction or collapse of the chest which may confirm the diagnosis of Bibasilar Atelectasis. Physician may do a bronchoscopy to check for any obstruction in the chest which may be caused by a tumor or a foreign object in the body. Moreover, a chest CT and a pulmonary function test may also be done to confirm the diagnosis of Bibasilar Atelectasis.
Treatment
A treatment plan for bibasilar atelectasis focuses on treating the underlying cause or health condition. Minor cases can and do not require treatment while more serious conditions of bibasilar atelectasis could result in surgical procedures to treat. If this is the case, post-surgery treatment will require rehabilitation in the form of specific breathing exercises to train the collapsed lung to expand properly. The doctor will drain any excess of mucus as needed and may prescribe mucus thinners to ease the process.
Bibasilar atelectasis often occurs when you’re in the hospital recovering from surgery. This means that it can be diagnosed and treated quickly and effectively, which can help prevent any further complications. However, since there are other possible causes that can often happen outside of the hospital, it’s crucial that you visit your doctor if you have any symptoms for bibasilar atelectasis. The earlier the condition is diagnosed, the lower your chances are of having serious complications.
