FW's lung infection flares up
2006-06-13 22:48
Michele O' Connor
Cape Town - The team of doctors treating former president FW de Klerk on Tuesday afternoon did a tracheotomy after he had another relapse.
De Klerk is in the ICU of the Panorama Medi-Clinic here after an operation to remove a malignant tumour from his colon.
His spokesperson, Dave Steward, said De Klerk had another relapse when his lung infection flared up again.
He said the tracheotomy had been done to couple the ventilator's pipe directly to a tube into his throat.
This was done to make De Klerk more comfortable.
Steward said that De Klerk was still connected to a ventilator, contrary to what he (Steward) had inadvertently reported earlier.
"Mr De Klerk breathed on his own at times on Monday, but is still connected to the ventilator.
"He will remain on the ventilator until his team decides his condition has improved," said Steward.
Bloemfontein physician and specialist in intensive-care treatment Dr Jaco Lups, who specialises in lung treatment, said on Tuesday night that this step did not mean necessarily that De Klerk's condition had deteriorated.
More convenient and hygienic
"A tracheotomy often is done in cases where the doctor struggles to wean a patient off the ventilator and where a patient has been on a ventilator for longer than two weeks.
"This procedure makes treatment much easier and it also is convenient for the patient.
"The usual ventilator tube that goes from the mouth to the lungs is 25cm long.
"A tube placed directly through the throat into the trachea (air pipe) is about 4cm or 5cm long.
"This procedure reduces the risk of infection and the tube also can be more easily cleaned and kept clean.
"In an emergency, nurses can remove the tube themselves and replace it without needing a doctor," said Lups.
He added that De Klerk's previously smoking habits probably also were playing a role now.
"Smokers' lungs are more difficult to treat. Infections are more common among smokers and are more difficult to treat."
- Die Burger