Post-operative phlegm in the throat is common in patients undergoing general anesthesia with tracheal intubation, which is a normal condition; however, it may also be caused by crural pneumonia, pleural effusion and other reasons.
1. Normal situation: patients undergoing tracheal intubation general anesthesia will stimulate the pharynx as well as the trachea to a certain extent, so there will be phlegm after surgery, which can be cured by itself, or can be treated with nebulizer.
2. Accumulative pneumonia: due to the postoperative patients lying in bed for a long time, or fear of wound pain do not dare to cough, sputum gradually increased, thus inducing accumulative pneumonia. Typical symptoms of pneumonia are unfavorable coughing and thick sputum.
3. Pleural effusion: If the patient is undergoing open heart surgery, there may be excessive accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity, which compresses the lungs and stimulates the airways, thus leading to sputum in the postoperative period.
Postoperative phlegm in the throat may be normal, or it may be caused by diseases, and relevant examinations should be carried out if necessary.