Common causes of cough after laryngeal cancer surgery

Patients with laryngeal cancer may also experience a series of complications after surgery to remove the tumor. Coughing is one of the common symptoms. Frequent coughing is not conducive to wound healing and can also disturb the patient's mood. There are three main factors that cause patients to cough frequently after surgery.

1. Respiratory secretion factors

Tracheotomy and fistula after laryngeal cancer surgery changes the integrity of the normal respiratory tract, the function of the respiratory mucociliary membrane changes, and the secretions increase. In the early postoperative period, patients are afraid to forcefully sputum due to wound pain and other factors. Sputum accumulates and forms scabs, which irritates the tracheal wall and causes coughing. Obvious sputum sounds or noises inside the cannula can also be heard.

2. Tracheal tube factors

After tracheotomy, patients often feel uncomfortable when wearing the cannula for the first time, which causes some irritation to the trachea and causes irritating dry cough. Some cases are caused by the cannula being too large or too curved, causing the distal end of the cannula to collide with the anterior wall of the trachea, which causes coughing. The main manifestations are induced or postural coughs, often accompanied by blood in sputum. Severe coughs can sometimes be relieved by replacing the appropriate cannula or adjusting the tightness of the cannula tie.

3. Mucosal incision suture

During vertical hemi-laryngectomy and middle laryngectomy, due to surgical interference, mucosal edema, inflammatory reaction, etc., the mucosal sense reaction is slow, saliva swallowing is difficult, and it is easy to cause aspiration, and choking and coughing are inevitable. In more obvious cases, there is an itchy feeling in the throat and a foreign body sensation. Mucosal trauma and absorption of thread head stimulation can also cause patients to cough violently. In this case, patients should try not to cough vigorously to avoid affecting wound healing. They should follow the doctor's advice to use appropriate antitussive drugs to control coughing.