ICL (intercostal muscle) surgery is a minimally-invasive procedure that helps you breathe more efficiently and effectively. It is performed to treat certain types of heart failure, usually in patients who are elderly or have other health problems.
If you are considering having ICL surgery, you may have various questions. Here are some things to keep in mind if you plan to have the procedure.
This surgery is a relatively new procedure, and there are currently only a few hospitals that offer it. This makes it challenging to find a good surgeon and an expert anaesthesia and recovery staff team. To ensure you are getting the best care, it’s essential to understand precisely what is involved. This article covers the different types of vision correction surgery and what you should expect.
There are several ways to perform an ICL surgery. If a surgeon has performed these procedures at other hospitals, it is essential to know which method the surgeon prefers.
The first technique involves making a small incision in the patient’s chest and then inserting thin tubes into the four intercostal muscles. This procedure is considered minimally invasive because it does not involve significant surgical cuts. The lines are left in place for several days, during which time the patient does not need to wear an oxygen mask. There is no recovery or overnight hospital stay, although patients may feel some discomfort after the surgery and may have restrictions on activity for several weeks. In some cases, patients experience some pain at this time, but they should expect to feel better once they begin taking pain medication (usually within 2-3 days). I
The second procedure involves creating a small incision between the ribs, inserting the tubes through these incisions, and placing them inside the chest wall (as described above). Patients do not need to wear an oxygen mask during surgery. Most patients can sleep immediately following surgery. There may be some pain after surgery and after taking pain medication, but most patients experience minimal discomfort during recovery.
The third method involves making a large incision in the patient’s body, inserting two thin tubes (depending on size) through this incision, and then connecting these tubes to a small suction device placed between the ribs. The suction helps pull air through the ICL into the lungs so that patients do not breathe using only their diaphragm muscles. Because this is a more invasive procedure than any other technique described here, recovery time is longer (2-3 weeks post-op). There are usually restrictions on physical activity during the recovery period.