Lung Abscess Treatment in India

John Nair, a 58-year-old retired school...

John Nair, a 58-year-old retired school teacher and avid gardener, had been battling a persistent cough and low-grade fever for weeks, dismissing it as a stubborn flu. When he began coughing up foul-smelling, greenish phlegm and developed sharp chest pain, his wife insisted he see a doctor. A chest X-ray and subsequent CT scan revealed a large, thick-walled cavity in his right lung, a lung abscess. His pulmonologist, Dr. Evans, explained that the abscess, likely stemming from aspirated bacteria during a recent dental procedure, was not responding adequately to intravenous antibiotics alone. She recommended a CT-guided percutaneous drainage to evacuate the pus, relieve his symptoms, and prevent rupture. John was anxious about the needle but found the team's explanation reassuring. The procedure, performed under local anesthesia and sedation, was uncomfortable but brief. Immediately after, he felt relief from the oppressive chest pressure. Over the next week in the hospital, with continued antibiotics and chest physiotherapy, his fever resolved and his energy slowly returned. Emotionally, he shifted from fearful denial about the severity of his 'flu' to profound gratitude for the modern intervention that swiftly pulled him back from a dangerous infection.