A Patient’s Perception of Pulmonology

I was admitted to the emergency facility of the Kauvery Hospital on the 7 th of August, coughing continuously for two days, and passing blood due to this extreme effort.

The reason for my cough dates back to ten years of my medical history.

During August 2006, I had severe bouts of cough and vomiting episodes and, after several consultations it was finally diagnosed as left broncho oesophageal fistula requiring bronchial stenting. This was performed immediately due to the acute symptoms worsening progressively. Post procedure I was stable and comfortable without cough and was discharged.

Within two months, in October, I was again in great discomfort due to continued infection and fever with pneumonia. Investigations revealed the upper lobe of left lung had collapsed due to the stent having slipped and it was decided to perform a left upper lobectomy immediately. After about two weeks I gradually recovered and was discharged in a stable condition.

The coughing episodes, and on some occasion’s mild hemoptysis, continued endlessly thereafter due to constant infection.

I had a major Haemoptysis recently, and that was when I was admitted in Kauvery Hospital for further treatment and procedures.

On admission, CT pulmonary angiography was done which revealed multiple clusters of blood leaks in the blood vessels from the artery around the bronchus, lung and spinal regions. It was decided to perform the procedure of Bronchial artery embolization through the key hole procedure to plug and seal the leaks which surprisingly was seen in six different clusters.

The period of the embolization process which normally lasts for about an hour lasted for more than five hours due to multiple leaks and was successfully performed, thanks to the dedicated expertise and experience of the young team of Intervention Radiologists under the able guidance of my seasoned pulmonologist. The entire team of doctors have to be credited for a smooth closure of a complicated situation which otherwise could have been fatal.

I was monitored in the ICU for the next 24 hours and subsequently shifted to the regular ward thereafter where my condition progressively stabilized I was discharged from the hospital within a week. I am now slowly back to my normal routine and have recovered well as expected.

Hats off to the team of doctors at Kauvery Hospital who saved my life and I owe my life to them.

Massive Hemoptysis: An Update On Life-Saving Embolization Beyond Bronchial Arteries (kauveryhospital.com).