Can drain tubes piercing the pleura cause pain in the lungs?

Question

Hello doctor,

My husband had a pleural effusion in the left side of his chest after having a pulmonary embolism (PE) and then contracting pneumonia, which caused his left lung to collapse. Three drain tubes were inserted into the pleura to drain off the fluids. This all happened seven months back. My husband has been experiencing pain in his left lung area since. Is this normal? Could the drain tubes piercing the pleura be the cause of the pain he is still experiencing? If yes, will it heal over time or does the holes stay? I have read that the nerve endings are in the plurea for the lungs, could the pockets of fluid he had cause nerve damage?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I went through your husband's history provided by you. By PE I assume you are referring to pulmonary embolism and not pericardial effusion. Are the tubes still present? If so the tube rubbing the pleura while taking a deep breath can cause the pain. Pulmonary embolism which may have cut off blood supply to part of the lung can cause the pain. If the tubes have been removed, the holes will heal in a couple of weeks. That will not cause the pain. In the case of pleural effusions, when they heal, it can cause some thickening of the outer layer of pleura which will limit the expansion of the lungs to some extent. This thickening can cause some pain and discomfort on deep breaths. This may persist for some time. In majority, this pain diminishes over time.