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Phrenic Nerve Damage and Causes

I had burst gallbladder in mid 2007. Required extreem pain management post surgical and ended up with a collapsed lung. Found out I also now have a rt. frozen diaphram. Prior to this surgery I had an intrathecal pain pump implanted at the end of 2006 right below the rt. lung. The catheter for the pump was placed at the T8 level. It required a great deal to get it to fit in. Now with all that has happened I am not sure what specifically caused the frozen diaphram? Is there a possibility that the phrenic nerve was damaged during the catheter implant? Any information is greatly appreciated.
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Avatar universal
MY HUSBAND HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY IN 2013 AND A MONTH AGO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH FROZEN DIAPHRAGM NOW WE ARE WONDERING IF THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE SURGERY?
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90270 tn?1199334469
That's the thing, it is usually hard to tell when and what caused the nerve damage because one sided paralysis of the diaphragm doesn't usually cause too many problems and is found many times incidentally on a x ray some time after the event.
Any procedure that involves manipulation near the phrenic nerve, as well as infections runs the risk of affecting that nerve. At least that is what my doc has told me.
I hope this helps,
Sunny
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