Guide To Diagnosing And Treating Atelectasis

Postural Drainage

Postural drainage is a way of draining the airway to help clear mucus and other secretions from the lungs. While the technique is most commonly used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, it can also be used for atelectasis. The lungs have five lobes, with two on the left and three on the right portion of the chest, and every lobe has further segments. The postural drainage goal is to drain the mucus out of the lobes and into the larger airways, so patients can more easily cough it up. To engage in postural drainage, patients will use a combination of clapping on their chest with cupped hands and vibrating their chest with their hands held flat.

Medication

In cases where the condition leads to serious pleuritic pain, doctors might prescribe opioids on a temporary basis to help relieve pain. While taking opioids, patients should engage in deep breathing exercises and consciously cough to bring up phlegm and increase their oxygen circulation levels. After an operation to reinflate tissue, doctors might use an intercostal nerve-blocking medication or epidural analgesia to relieve pain without leading to a decrease in respiration. Doctors may also prescribe medications to help thin mucus and loosen it. Combined with postural drainage techniques, these medications can make it much easier to remove mucus from the respiratory system.