Asthma and Surgery

If you have asthma, then you are at higher risk for complications during and after a surgery. Some of these complications include tightened chest and breathlessness due from intubations, hypoxemia, respiratory infection, and sensitivity to some anesthetic.

If you have asthma, there are certain steps you can take to help manage your asthma and reduce the risk of complications during surgery:

• Make sure to tell your doctor (or all of your doctors) that you have asthma.
• Before surgery, review your level of asthma control, your medication use, and your pulmonary function with your doctor. Are you waking up at night coughing? Are you using your inhaled corticosteroid everyday and at the right time? Are you using the inhaler correctly? When was the last time you had spirometry? Did it show that your asthma was in control? You and your doctor should be able to answer all of these questions and help you determine if your asthma is under control.
• If your asthma is not under control, your doctor should provide you with an asthma action plan and asthma medications before your surgery to make sure to improve your lung function.