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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHaving part of a lung removed means you have had a lung resection (also called pulmonary resection). A surgeon removes diseased, damaged or abnormal tissue and leaves the remaining lung in place. The amount removed may be a small wedge, one or more anatomical segments, or an entire lobe. Removing a whole lung is a different operation, called a pneumonectomy.
The effect on breathing, recovery and daily life depends on how much tissue was removed, why surgery was needed, your lung and heart health, and whether complications occur. Many people continue to breathe well after a partial resection, and selected people can live with one lung.
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What the operation actually removes
“Part of a lung” is not one precise procedure. Surgeons choose the smallest operation that can safely treat the problem while preserving useful lung tissue, or they remove more tissue when that gives better disease control. The main types are:
| Operation | What is removed | What remains |
|---|---|---|
| Wedge resection | A small, wedge-shaped piece of a lobe, usually containing a lesion plus a margin of healthy tissue. | The rest of that lobe and the other lobes remain. |
| Segmentectomy | One or more anatomical segments within a lobe. | The remaining segments of the lobe remain. |
| Lobectomy | An entire lobe. The right lung has three lobes; the left lung has two. | The other lobes remain in the chest. |
| Bilobectomy | Two lobes of the right lung. | One right-lung lobe and the left lung remain. |
| Pneumonectomy | The entire right or left lung. | The opposite lung supplies breathing. |
| Sleeve resection | A diseased section of a major airway together with nearby lung tissue. | The airway is rejoined, potentially preserving more lung than a whole-lung removal. |
The American Thoracic Society summarizes the distinctions this way: a wedge removes less than a lobe, a segmentectomy removes more than a wedge but not an entire lobe, a lobectomy removes one lobe, and a pneumonectomy removes an entire lung. Your operative report should state the exact procedure and side.
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Why doctors remove lung tissue
Lung resection is most often used for lung cancer, including some early-stage non-small-cell lung cancers. It may also be used for a cancer that spread to the lung, a benign nodule or tumor, bronchiectasis, emphysema, an abscess, a serious infection, inflammatory disease or traumatic injury. Sometimes surgery is performed mainly to obtain tissue so specialists can diagnose cancer, tuberculosis, infection, pulmonary fibrosis or another condition.
When cancer is the reason
The choice between a wedge, segmentectomy, lobectomy, sleeve procedure or pneumonectomy is based on the tumor’s size, exact location, relationship to airways and blood vessels, evidence of spread, and the amount of functioning lung you can safely spare. In some cancers, a lobectomy is preferred over a smaller resection when the lungs have enough reserve, because removing the entire involved lobe can provide a better chance of cure in selected patients. A sleeve resection may avoid removing an entire lung when a tumor is close to a major airway and the anatomy allows reconstruction.
Lymph-node assessment
During cancer surgery, the surgeon may remove nearby lymph nodes as well as the tumor. A pathology team examines those nodes to determine whether cancer has spread and whether chemotherapy, radiation or another treatment should be considered. The number and locations of nodes sampled are recorded in the surgical and pathology reports.
How doctors decide whether surgery is safe
The operation’s name alone does not predict how you will feel afterward. Before surgery, the team estimates whether your remaining lung can provide enough oxygen and carbon-dioxide exchange and whether your heart can tolerate anesthesia and recovery.
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- Pulmonary function: breathing tests measure how much air you move and how efficiently gases cross into the blood. The results help estimate predicted function after the planned resection.
- Heart and circulation: heart disease, rhythm problems and limited exercise tolerance can increase risk even when lung tests look acceptable.
- Other illnesses: COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, diabetes, kidney disease and frailty can affect healing and complication risk.
- Smoking history and fitness: smoking-related damage and low conditioning may reduce reserve; stopping smoking and following a clinician’s preparation plan can be important.
- Anatomy and prior treatment: tumor position, previous chest operations, adhesions and the need to remove or reconstruct an airway influence the approach.
Your thoracic team combines these findings with imaging, biopsy results and cancer stage. A procedure that is reasonable for one person may be unsafe or unnecessarily extensive for another.
What happens during lung-resection surgery
Open thoracotomy
In an open operation, the surgeon makes an incision between the ribs to reach the lung directly. This approach may be necessary for a large or centrally located tumor, complex reconstruction, extensive scarring or an emergency. It generally causes more chest-wall discomfort and can require a longer recovery than a suitable minimally invasive operation.
Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)
VATS uses several small incisions, a camera and long instruments. When the anatomy permits, it is associated with less pain, less blood loss and a shorter recovery than open surgery. It is not suitable for every tumor, prior operation or medical situation.
Robotic-assisted surgery
Robotic techniques are another minimally invasive way to operate through small incisions. The surgeon controls the instruments; whether this approach is appropriate depends on the same factors that determine VATS feasibility and on local expertise.
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Mayo Clinic thoracic surgeon Shanda Blackmon, M.D., explains that when minimally invasive surgery is possible, it can leave people with more lung function to use later. The final choice belongs to the treating surgeon after reviewing your scans and test results.
What changes in breathing after part of a lung is removed?
You do not lose all breathing ability after a partial resection. The remaining lung tissue continues exchanging oxygen, and the chest and diaphragm adapt over time. The NHS states that it is possible to breathe normally with one lung, although breathlessness that existed before surgery may continue.
Shortness of breath is common in the early recovery period because of pain, reduced activity, temporary changes in lung expansion and the healing incision. Long-term change varies with the amount removed and your starting reserve. A small wedge may have little measurable effect in someone with healthy lungs, while a lobectomy or pneumonectomy can reduce exercise capacity more noticeably. COPD or other lung disease, heart problems, smoking-related damage, low fitness and complications such as pneumonia or a persistent air leak can make symptoms more likely.
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Recovery: what to expect and what controls the timeline
Recovery usually takes weeks to months. The exact course depends on the amount of lung removed, whether surgery was open or minimally invasive, your baseline health, and any complications. A small VATS wedge resection may involve a shorter hospital stay than an open lobectomy or pneumonectomy, but there is no universal schedule.
Immediately after surgery
You may wake with a chest tube that drains air and fluid while the lung heals. Nurses monitor breathing, oxygen levels, heart rhythm, pain and the incision. Coughing and deep-breathing exercises help keep airways clear; staff may show you how to support the incision while coughing. Walking is introduced as soon as the team considers it safe to reduce weakness and clot risk.
At home
Follow the surgeon’s specific instructions for wound care, medicines, lifting, driving, work and exercise. Fatigue can persist after pain has improved. Increase activity gradually, stop for marked breathlessness or dizziness, and keep follow-up appointments so the team can review pathology, imaging, oxygen needs and recovery. Do not start a breathing device, oxygen prescription or exercise program from a generic online schedule; the appropriate plan depends on your operation and clinical measurements.
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Contact the treating team urgently, or use the emergency instructions you were given, for worsening breathlessness, new or severe chest pain, blue lips, coughing up a significant amount of blood, fever or a rapidly worsening wound. The sources do not establish one universal symptom threshold, so use the personalized numbers and contact arrangements supplied at discharge.
Risks and how they vary by procedure
Every lung resection is major surgery. Possible complications include bleeding, infection, air leak, pneumonia, blood clots, abnormal heart rhythms, respiratory failure, persistent pain and a need for supplemental oxygen. Risk generally rises as more lung is removed and when preoperative heart or lung function is poor.
| Procedure | Illustrative mortality figure | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Pneumonectomy for lung cancer | About 5% | Cleveland Clinic’s page updated January 15, 2025, says studies suggest this level of death during or soon after surgery; the underlying study years are not specified, and the figure is not an individual prediction. |
| Wedge resection | Less than 1% | The same Cleveland Clinic page reports this as a study-based estimate for deaths during or soon after surgery; actual risk varies by patient and center. |
These figures should not be used to compare your personal odds without context. Age, urgency, cancer stage, hospital experience, coexisting disease and the specific surgical technique can change risk substantially. Ask your surgeon for the center’s current results for patients with a similar operation and health profile.
How to compare a smaller resection with a larger one
When more than one operation is technically possible, discuss these five trade-offs rather than focusing only on the incision size:
- Lung preserved: a wedge or segmentectomy leaves more tissue than a lobectomy; a pneumonectomy removes the most.
- Cancer-control objective: the operation must remove the disease with an adequate margin and, when relevant, include lymph-node assessment.
- Physiologic reserve: pulmonary-function results, heart health and other illnesses determine what you can safely tolerate.
- Recovery burden: a suitable minimally invasive approach often means less pain, less blood loss and a shorter recovery than an open operation.
- Long-term function: expected breathlessness and exercise capacity depend on preoperative function, the amount removed and whether complications occur.
A smaller operation is not automatically better if it cannot remove the disease completely. Conversely, removing more lung than necessary can reduce reserve. The right balance is individualized.
Living normally after resection
Many people return to ordinary activities after healing, but “normal” varies. Someone who had a small resection and had healthy lungs may notice little change. Someone with COPD, a larger resection or treatment complications may need pacing, pulmonary rehabilitation or long-term oxygen. People who have had one lung removed can still breathe adequately in appropriate circumstances; the NHS notes that normal breathing with one lung is possible, although pre-existing breathlessness may remain.
Recovery is not complete when the incision closes. Strength, stamina and confidence often improve gradually over several months. Keep vaccinations, smoking-cessation support, cancer surveillance and treatment for other lung conditions aligned with your clinician’s plan. Pathology results determine whether additional cancer treatment is needed.
Questions to ask your surgical team
- Which exact resection am I having, and which side and lobe are involved?
- Why is this amount of lung needed instead of a wedge, segmentectomy or a larger operation?
- What do my pulmonary-function and heart tests predict after surgery?
- Will you remove lymph nodes, and when should I expect the pathology report?
- Can VATS or robotic surgery be used safely in my case, and what would make you switch to an open operation?
- How long do you expect hospitalization, activity restrictions and return to work to take for my procedure?
- What symptoms should trigger an urgent call, and whom should I contact after hours?
- Will I need oxygen, inhalers, breathing therapy or pulmonary rehabilitation, and how will that decision be measured?
These answers, rather than the phrase “part of a lung,” explain what the operation means for your particular breathing, risks and recovery.
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