Hypoxia and Medicine

Oxygen saturation low after bowel surgery?

My dad had some of his bowel removed on Saturday due to a tear in it and now has a temp colsosc. bag. His oxygen sat level is really low and he is having troubles with the breathing. Any ideas what causes this?

Public Comments

1. Several things can cause difficulty breathing after surgery. The more common things are atelectasis which is collapse of part of the lung usually due to not taking deep enough breaths which is common after surgery due to the pain. Pneumonia can occur as a result of atelectasis or from another cause. Pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot in the lung can occur when a clot from the leg travels to the lungs causing respiratory distress. This is not unusual after surgery due to immobility or other risk factors. Hopefully his doctors are working this up with a chest x-ray, arterial blood gas, blood tests etc to find the reason so it can be properly treated.